#IRYNA PASKO

[valya-dudycz-lupescu]

Last week, the British Science Fiction Association (BSFA) released their longlist of nominees for the BSFA Awards, for work published in 2023. Embroidered Worlds: Fantastic Fiction from Ukraine and the Diaspora was among those listed for Best Collections! I am honored that we were included; I'm also so excited to see Ukrainian fiction on a list like this.

When I was a young reader in the 80s and 90s, I dreamed of such an opportunity; and I am heartened to know that readers are enjoying and discussing these stories by writers in Ukraine and the Diaspora.

There are so many thoughtful collections and fantastic stories on this list, and I encourage you to take a look. Congratulations to my incredible co-editors, Olha Brylova & Iryna Pasko and to all the nominees!

[paranatellonta]

A Train of Peas

When Peacock was very young, he’d assembled himself a train out of peas. Everyone around him had these majestic tails—even the turkeys on the next farm over.

As the years went by, his friends evolved: the eyes on their trains were exchanged for screens, their meat was swapped out for metal, and their quills came to serve as antennas that only received a signal when they pointed at the sky, allowing the nights to be quiet. Some of those antennas ended in blasters, ready to shoot in every direction.

Peacock still dreamed of his own tail, but in the current climate, no one would spend time on something as frivolous as a decorative source of personal euphoria. He’d have to come up with a solution himself.

He scratched and he tore, he cut and he painted, and finally he was ready. Without a long tail to bear him down, he was much lighter and could fly higher than any of his friends. Now, a large banner trailed behind him in the sky, sending a message to all parties, both directly and through the screens shared by all the other peacocks in the world. It might be that no one had ever been awed by his tail of peas, but they’d definitely be impressed if he were able to bring peace.

—

[Image description: Photo of a colourful origami sculpture of a peacock with its tail on display. On the left in the background, part of a TV screen is visible; the rest of the background is mostly dark.]

—

Atthis Arts has launched a new and important Kickstarter campaign today: Embroidered Worlds: an anthology of fantastic stories from Ukraine and the Diaspora, edited by Valya Dudycz Lupescu, Olha Brylova, and Iryna Pasko. Please consider supporting this campaign, as it’s more important than ever for Ukrainian voices in speculative fiction to be heard widely.

[valya-dudycz-lupescu]

It’s time to unveil the cover of Embroidered Worlds: Fantastic Fiction from Ukraine and the Diaspora, as well as the list of thirty authors and their stories!

Taras Kopansky is the Ukrainian artist who created the art, "Metahutsulka" for the cover. His piece is inspired by Mykola Senkovsky’s famous 1926 photograph “Old Hutsulka” that won the Grand Prix at the European International Exhibition in Paris.

The translated stories have working titles, since our translators are working on them at the moment, but they will give you an idea of what you have to look forward to:

TATIANA ADAMENKO | Kestrel Travel Agency

VOLODYMYR ARENEV | There, Where the Garden Will Be

VIRA BALATSKA | Following Revenge

KÁROJ D. BALLA | In the Belly of the Dinosaur

ELIZABETH BEAR | Lest We Forget

ANATOLY BELILOVSKY | Iron Feliks

ÉVA BERNICZKY | Dreamers of Uzhhorod

OLHA BRYLOVA | Iron Goddess of Compassion

DAVID DEMCHUK | Three Forest Tales

VASYL DUKHNOVSKYI | A Hole in the Shape of God

OLEKSIY GEDEONOV | The Midst of Snow

MYROSLAVA HORNOSTAYEVA | The Stray Tram

YARYNA KATOROZH | The Bike Spirit

MAX KIDRUK | Closer to the Pole

OLENA KRASNOSELSKA | Scream

R.B. LEMBERG | Geddarien

HALYNA LIPATOVA | The Last of the Beads

VALYA DUDYCZ LUPESCU | Honey

ASKOLD MELNYCZUK | A Brief History of the Little : People

MIKHAILO NAZARENKO | Big-Nose and the Faun

IRYNA PASKO | The Rainbow Bridge

STEFAN O. RAK | The Long Black Veil

N.R.M. ROSHAK | Bitter Thing

IHOR SILIVRA | Family v1.1

OLEH SILIN | To See Jupiter

A.D. SUI | Svet

SVITLANA TARATORINA | Battle of the Gods

OSTAP UKRAINETS | Neptune’s Day

YURIY VYNNYCHUK | An Embroidered World

OLEKSIY ZHUPANSKYI | Havrylovna

You can read the rest of the update here:

Just a few days left to become a backer! The campaign ends on September 30th! Please help us to spread the word!

Дуже дякую! Слава Україні!