Memorial for Victoria Amelina

Please join us for a public memorial reading celebrating the literary and activist work of Ukrainian writer Victoria Amelina.

Victoria Amelina was the author of The Fall Syndrome (Синдром листопаду, або Homo Compatiens), Dom’s Dream Kingdom (Дім для Дома), and a book for children, Хтось, або водяне серце (Somebody, or Water Heart). She had recently begun to write and publish poetry, and was also in the process of writing a nonfiction book about Ukrainian women fighting against political violence. She was a member of PEN International. In 2021, she won the Joseph Conrad Literary Award.

In the last period of her life, Amelina turned her eye to the injustice and brutality of war in Ukraine. She became a war crimes researcher, trained by Truth Hounds. She interviewed the witnesses of atrocity. She successfully recovered the buried war diary of Ukrainian writer Volodymyr Vakulenko, a poet and children’s writer killed by occupying forces in 2022.

On June 27, 2023, Amelina was at a cafe with colleagues and friends. A Russian missile attack struck the cafe, injuring over sixty people and killing thirteen people. Among the dead was Amelina.

At this memorial, we seek to remember Amelina’s legacy–the forever intermingled vision, compassion, and fearlessness of her creative work and activism. We will be joined by many readers from Amelina’s community, as a beloved writer, a chronicler of war, a Ukrainian, and a former resident of Brookline.

This memorial is open to the public. An RSVP is not required.

EVENT ACCESSIBILITY
This event will take place at street level. If possible, the event will be livestreamed to YouTube. ASL interpretation may be provided (based on the availability of interpreters) but must be requested at least 2 weeks in advance of the event. Seats are limited. Seating is limited. Please email us at tickets@brooklinebooksmith.com as soon as possible if you require ASL interpretation, guaranteed seating, or other accommodations. We will do our best to serve your needs!

More information: https://www.brooklinebooksmith.com/event/memorial-victoria-amelina