Crossing the Border - Softcover

Rychtycka, Ksenia

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1939289017 ISBN 13: 9781939289018

Publisher: Little Creek Books, 2012

Synopsis

Ksenia Rychtycka's debut collection Crossing the Border illuminates moments of tragedy and triumph, personal discovery and disillusionment, spotlighting characters who, in one form or another, learn to move forward with their lives. Stymied by the lack of progress and change in post-communist Ukraine, Valeriy the artist finds he is unable to paint. Anna is a lonely woman who attends strangers' weddings to offer a curious gift. The arrival of a wayward parakeet during the 2004 Orange Revolution forces an elderly woman into action. These nine stories-set in Ukraine, the United States and Greece-highlight universal conflicts and dilemmas, along with the uncertainties and complexities of change, and introduce a strong new voice in storytelling.

About this title

About the Author:

Ksenia Rychtycka was born in Chicago and raised in Hamtramck, Michigan. She is a first-generation Ukrainian-American writer. Ksenia's short stories and poems have appeared in The Dalhousie Review, Alaska Quarterly Review, The Literary Bohemian, Mused BellaOnline, Wisconsin Review, Yellow Medicine Review, The MacGuffin, and other literary journals and anthologies. Ksenia worked as an editor in Kyiv, Ukraine, from 1996-2000, an experience which inspired several stories in her collection Crossing The Border. The book was selected as a finalist in the 2013 Next Generation Indie Book Awards in the Short Story - Fiction category. She also received a five-star review from Readers' Favorite and The Midwest Book Review, which noted that "With a good dose of humor and insight into the lives of Ukrainians, Crossing The Border is a must for any international fiction collection." Ksenia has an MA in Creative Writing from Columbia College Chicago and a BA in Journalism with a minor in art history from Wayne State University.

Review:

"With little hope in her homeland, one seeks to look elsewhere. "Crossing the Border" is a collection of short stories from Ukrainian writer Ksenia Rychtycka as she tells many stories surrounding Ukraine as well the world around it, telling of characters facing events of the nation's recent history and their personal journeys. With a good dose of humor and insight into the lives of Ukrainians, "Crossing the Border" is a must for any international fiction collection."--Midwest Book Review (Reviewer's Choice)

"Rychtycka's ability to deliver an authoritative political and social history of a people and a country without being didactic stems from her deep knowledge of and passion for her topic." -- Dorene O'Brien, award-winning author of Voices of the Lost and Found

"One of the strongest images in this anthology is Babtsia. The image of the strong and competent Ukrainian grandmother caring for the emotional and spiritual needs of future generations is skillfully portrayed by Rychtycka." --Myra Junyk, Knyzhka Corner Book Review (Nash Holos Ukrainian Radio)

"The bottom line is that all the stories examine what it is to be human and that is always what makes a book compelling to me. I know little about Ukraine and its people. Author Rychtycka let me see the intimate part of the Ukrainian history, culture and its community. This is an excellent collection from Rychtycka and I look forward to her future works." --Lit Amri, Readers' Favorite (5-Star Review)

About this edition

• Publisher: Little Creek Books
• Publication date: 2012
• ISBN 10: 1939289017
• ISBN 13: 9781939289018
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 2
• Number of pages: 134