Interview with a writer (me) | Part 3

Interview with a writer (me) | Part 1
Interview with a writer (me) | Part 2

Hi friends! Let's continue. And finish) The last part of the interview.

---

---

What poetry of Ukrainian and world poets do you like to read?

For the past few years, Mykola Bidenko has been my favorite poet. He has very eclectic verlibres, multi-layered. I've attended the Mykola Bidenko memorial festival in 2019, and there I heard a simple but comprehensive definition of his work: 3D poems.
Sometimes I like to read (and even secretly translate) Charles Bukowski. But it requires a special mood.
In general, I don't focus on my favorite poets — I read a lot of my Facebook-friends' texts (and I've befriended the most interesting ones), I buy their books, I collect their autographs. The poetry in Ukraine is currently blooming, there are a lot of new names and texts, so there is no time to think about which of them is on the second, third, etc. places.

---

---

In your opinion, why are fairy tales so important today?

Fairy tales help to explain children about the war, the tragic and traumatic present times, to explain complicated things in a simplified way. Versed texts, according to child psychologists, are even capable of returning a child from stressful situations to reality: concentration on rhythm and rhyme, repeating and learning lines by heart have a calming effect on the psyche. Probably, this is why we adults use prayers: the principle is somewhat similar (this is my impression, at least).
For adults, fairy tales are also important, because we want a happy ending, the victory of good over evil, justice — at least in a book.

---

---

Tell us about your "Dragon Babies" book. How did the idea to create it come and what is it about?

I became the author of "Dragon Babies" (in Ukrainian — "Drakosyky") thanks to an invitation to the project of the E.PIC chain of stores of children's goods. I agreed with delight, because who does not dream their books can be closer to young readers — in supermarkets, shopping centers, children's stores? I dreamed a little.
I was even more happy when I found out that the book will be published in cooperation with the largest Ukrainian publishing house of children's literature, Ranok.
"Dragon Babies" book was illustrated by the incredible artist Maria Ivanova, whom I recommended.
The illustrator and I did not develop the characters from scratch — Leia, Winnie, Kira and Richie soft toys have been selling in E.PIC stores for some time. Dragon Babies toys had a noble mission: the funds from their sale went to equip the children's room of the community center "Oplich HUB" (the Mental Help project in Zaporizhzhia). And the book appeared as a continuation of the story of good: UAH 10 from each sold copy of the "Dragon Babies" will be used to purchase books for the Central Children's Library of the Novobavarskyi district of Kharkiv.
Apart from the appearance and names of the characters, there were no more restrictions: I created characters and adventures for the dragons at my own discretion. It was important — freedom of imagination, because I didn't want to slip from writing a fairy tale to banal creative copywriting on a given topic and keywords.
The fairy tale touches on important topics of countering misinformation (fakes) on the Internet, adapting children to online learning, and mutual aid during a global disaster. There is also an interactive component: a maze-puzzle, a crossword, a walking game, QR-codes that lead to a do-it-yourself videos — children are invited to bake cookies with a dragon, to make slime or origami-dragon, to learn a poem by heart. I also came up with and supervised all these videos myself, so I also got such a non-standard experience.

---

---

Your wishes to the readers of the Knigoland network.

I always give more requests-instructions than wishes: please read and buy books by living Ukrainian writers. They need your support more than anyone else (especially, more than dead ones).
Give poetry a chance: don't cut off a whole layer of literature just because you didn't like reading poetry in your school years. Modern texts may surprise you. I know it, because I heard it many times from the visitors of presentations and poetry readings.

---

---

Thanks for reading, friends! See ya.