Q: How long have you been in Ottawa, and what first brought you here?
I have lived in Ottawa since October 2020, when I moved to Canada for my master’s degree. The decision to permanently cross the ocean was taken in September 2019 after three months spent in Ottawa on a research internship. Before the internship, I had barely heard about Ottawa, but now I can call it my Canadian home!
Q: How did you first get involved in writing, and subsequently, the writing community here?
My earliest memory of writing is a snapshot of a four-line poem I dedicated to my first year of school. I have enjoyed reading and writing for as long as I can remember, even though one of my third-grade teachers told me that I’m better at math than writing. Luckily, it didn’t stop me from exploring poetry, short fiction, and fanfiction in my teenage years – as it turns out, I was much better able to deal with emotions by writing them down and finding intricate words to describe them, rather than through solving equations!
Q: How did being in such a community of writers shift your thinking about writing, if at all?
Throughout my time in Ottawa, I had several updates in my thinking regarding what writing can achieve. But it is also worth noting that I haven’t been writing consistently for almost six years before restarting my writing journey in 2023, here, in Ottawa. And this new beginning is partially thanks to the all-welcoming and diverse local community. My interest in sharing my work with literary journals was sparked by a flo. lit mag, a copy of which I saw at the Art House Café.
Q: What do you see happening here that you don’t see anywhere else? What does Ottawa provide, or allow?
Due to Ottawa’s governmental influence, many authors are deeply involved in their communities and draw inspiration for their writing and art from social issues. I don’t know if there are any statistics to support or contradict my observation, and I haven’t lived in any other Canadian city. Still, I find it incredible when people care about their social and political lives and actively express those concerns through art!
Q: Have any of your projects responded directly to your engagements here? How have the city and its community, if at all, changed the way you approached your work?
I’ve recently started a bi-annual zine about everything, STEPPE, and many ideas for topics come to me when I walk through the streets of Ottawa. This also helps me include Ottawa in the zine. I would love for Ottawa to become even more artsy, and I would love for myself to be a drop in the ocean of its art scene!
Q: What are you working on now?
Too many things at once, to be honest! Most of my current draft writing focuses on Ukraine as I aim to share Ukrainian culture and experiences with my readers. Then, there is STEPPE. Then, there are little projects, like starting a Ukrainian book club. I’ve also just finished a series of writing workshops with Westboro Books. I think I need more hours in the day…
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