Poet, writer, teacher and artist Svetlana Ischenko is well acquainted with literary acclaim in her home country of Ukraine, but accepting praise for her work in Canada is an undertaking that still takes some getting used to.
The North Vancouver writer’s poetry collection, Nucleus, A Poet’s Lyrical Journey from Ukraine to Canada, has been listed among the five poetry finalists for the Sunshine Coast Writers and Editors Society Book Awards.
Her first reaction was one of astonishment. With the province’s wealth of ultra talented writers, she had never expected her works to stand out from the crowd, she said.
“I’m still in a state of surprise. There are so many wonderful poets in B.C., and so many amazing books of poetry published in the past year or so."
Her second reaction had been an “overwhelming feeling” of gratitude.
The first of Ischenko’s books to be written in both Ukrainian and English, Ischenko had expected there to be some teething problems as she still got to grips with balancing her mother and new tongue. In her mind, winning an award had never even been on the cards, she said.
“I’ve been working on being able to write poems in English for a long time, and I can’t even describe what a deep pleasure it is to have this book written in English acknowledged in this way.”
Born in Mykolaiv, in southern Ukraine, Ischenko documents the life lessons and character shaping that came with moving to Canada in 2001. Via carefully curated stanzas she details the plethora of emotions that came during the 23 years that followed, as she tackled walking the tightrope between being a Ukrainian citizen and a Canadian resident.
Published in January this year, the book’s concoction of lyrical works and inspiring sonnets question the meaning of identity and home.
While Ukraine will always be home, being nominated for such an award cements the author’s place locally, said Ischenko.
“More than just Canadian, I’m a B.C. resident now. I’m so interested in this beautiful province, and I’m so excited to think that I could be participating in the literary culture of B.C., even in just a small way,” she said, adding how she’s “proud” to be part of the local literary environment.
The competition, now in its second year, was instigated by the Sunshine Coast Writers and Editors Society to recognize local published and non-published authors.
Contest coordinator Cathalynn Labonte-Smith said there are some “very strong” finalists in this year’s running; choosing the winners is set to be a difficult task for the large roster of judges. The line-up — spanning journalists, authors, and poets — will take into account the usual guidelines of grammar and storyline, but it’s the works that ignite a fire in the belly, a “gut feeling,” that will claim the top spots, said Labonte-Smith.
“At the end of the day it’s about those stories that you just cannot put down, those that stay with you forever, and really change you as a human being,” she said.
If Ischenko’s verses are capable of doing anything, it is making a lasting impact on the reader. In its few months the book has garnered compliments from readers and fellow writers alike, especially as the powerful collection gains more pertinence following recent events in Ukraine.
This fall, those who haven’t yet been able to get their hands on a copy of Nucleus will find Ischenko’s stanzas revealed to them in other ways, as the Poetry in Transit program, a partnership between TransLink and the Association of Book Publishers of B.C., plans to showcase pages from her book on local buses and trains.
“The reception for the book has gone beyond any expectations that I had, and I’m very happy about that,” Ischenko said.
Her collection will battle it out against the four other nominees at a ceremony during the Arts & Words festival in Gibsons on August 24.
Mina Kerr-Lazenby is the North Shore News’ Indigenous and civic affairs reporter. This reporting beat is made possible by the Local Journalism Initiative.
