Raisa Stone

Author Raisa Stone's passion for Ukrainian culture comes not only from its proud richness. Her father was the only member of his family to escape Stalinist Ukraine. He then landed in a Nazi labor camp, from where he was liberated to Canada. The Soviets tortured her grandmother to death. Raisa documents these stories along with traditional Ukraine recipes.

Her Ukrainian culture books cross over into other Eastern European cookbook genres, including Russian cookbooks, Polish cookbooks, and Middle Eastern cookbooks. "Baba's Kitchen: Ukrainian Soul Food" is both a memoir and a Ukrainian cookbook, with 200 recipes. "Rosie's Rescue" is a Ukrainian culture book for horse crazy children.

Watch her videos to enjoy the character of Baba, who narrates "Baba's Kitchen: Ukrainian Soul Food."

Both Raisa & her writing style are described as, "A cross between Mae West & Yakov Smirnoff." She is a life long animal rescuer, tree hugger and horse kisser. She is nationally known for her successful campaigns to preserve an urban forest & ban abused carriage horses from downtown Vancouver BC.

Raisa has been designated as a professional by Canada Council for the Arts in Literature, Theatre, Disability Arts, Music & Sound and InterArts.

She has taught for the Victoria School of Writing & lectured at the University of British Columbia on the relationship between women & Nature.

She has been a guest singer with the Harlem Gospel Choir & the New Orleans Dirty Dozen, & a scholarship student at both the Centrum Foundation for the Arts & Banff Centre (Canada's national Arts school).

"Chicken Soup for the Soul" has published three of her stories about miraculous healing and love that survives death.

Learn more about Raisa and her narrator Baba:

www.ukrainiansoulfood.ca: listen to Baba read from her Ukrainian book! She also offers a free newsletter with extra recipes and stories. Her grant project with Canada Council for the Arts and CBC can be found at www,raisastone.com