The Faculty of Philology, Journalism and Arts of Kherson State University Hosts the Presentation of the 21st Issue of the Bulletin of the Tavria Foundation (Centre for the Study of the Ukrainian Diaspora)

On 28 October, as part of the in-person academic week, the Faculty of Philology, Journalism and Arts of Kherson State University hosted the presentation of the 21st issue of the Bulletin of the Tavria Foundation (Centre for the Study of the Ukrainian Diaspora).

This international literary and scholarly journal has been published in Kherson since 2005. It is a joint initiative of the interdepartmental research laboratory “Ukrainian Literature in the English-Speaking World” at Kherson State University and the Tavria Foundation (Centre for the Study of the Ukrainian Diaspora). Its editorial board comprises 19 scholars, writers, journalists, educators and translators from Ukraine, the United Kingdom, the United States, Poland, the Czech Republic, India and Germany. The presentation was hosted by editorial board members and Associate Professors at Kherson State University, Vasyl Zahorodniuk and Ivan Nemchenko.

The 21st issue of the Bulletin of the Tavria Foundation (Centre for the Study of the Ukrainian Diaspora) features scholarly, literary and artistic contributions dedicated to the work and legacy of prominent representatives of the Ukrainian diaspora, as well as figures from the Black Sea region. The publication also includes a chronicle of cultural and artistic events in the Kherson region and southern Ukraine.

As is well known, 2026 has been declared the Year of Dniprova Chaika in the Kherson region. Several sections of this issue, including “Let Us Remember!”, “Anniversaries”, “Heritage” and “Our Chronicle”, are dedicated to this outstanding figure in the history of the region and in Ukraine's cultural and national development.

The issue features works by the writer, including her famous Gems, dedicated to Mykola Voronyi, an ideologist of Ukrainian modernism and the author of the anthem “For Ukraine!”. In this prose poem, Dniprova Chaika passionately celebrates Ukraine's revival as an independent, united and democratic state.

The “Our Chronicle” section presents a mosaic of reports on events held in the Kherson region during the first half of the Year of Dniprova Chaika (January–June). We hope that the next issue of the Bulletin will report on further developments and events during the second half of the year.

The “Heritage” section also features a selection of texts written over different periods by the unforgettable Ostap Lapsky, a poet from Warsaw, published in honour of his 100th birth anniversary.

The “Literary Studies” section was presented by Halyna Nemchenko, Candidate of Philological Sciences and Associate Professor, who outlined her interpretation of the image of Olena Pchilka in Olena Volynska's novella The Marble Woman. Ivan Nemchenko also contributed his research on Crimean Tatar motifs in the novels Yura and Lara by contemporary Ukrainian writer Maryna Hrymych, who is active both in mainland Ukraine and in the diaspora.

This time, the “Local Studies” section featured literary and artistic materials related to the Cherkasy region, including Valentyna Lytvyn's article “Vasyl Symonenko and the Korsun Region”.

The anniversary section includes contributions celebrating the 90th birthday of our distinguished colleague, scholar and educator Mariia Ivanivna Penteliuk; the 90th birthday of Mykola Stepanovych Dupliak, a literary critic, educator, journalist, memoirist and community activist from Camillus, USA; and the 70th birthday of Vasyl Stepanovych Zahorodniuk, an artist and scholar who heads the Kherson Regional Branch of the National Writers' Union of Ukraine.

In the “Our Guests” section, readers are invited to continue exploring the works of contributors to The Land of One's Own Word: An Anthology of Ukrainian-Language Literature of Podlasie (Bielsk Podlaski, 2023), introduced in the previous issue of the Bulletin. This issue features poems by Oleksandra Havryliuk, Agnieszka Danyliuk and Roman Voronchuk.

The “Poetry Gallery” presents poems by Tadej Karabowicz, along with his translations of works by contemporary Polish women poets Krystyna Gudel and Zofia Piłasiewicz. In the “Prose Pages” section, the same poet and translator reveals his talent as a prose writer through the charming short story “The Cat”.

The “Lyric Kaleidoscope” features works by Oleksandr Hunko, Anatolii Kachan, Valentyna Kovalenko, Valerii Kulyk, Alona Movchan, Oksana Slavenko, Nadiia Telenchuk and other authors. The theme of war, with all its pain and emotional weight, frequently resonates throughout their writing. Unfortunately, due to technical reasons, only Oleksandr Hunko and Oksana Slavenko were able to participate in the presentation by reading their poems aloud.

This issue's “Voices of the Diaspora” section features contributions by Mykola Dupliak, a co-author from the United States. His articles, “Some Reflections on Kalyna's Anniversary Concert” and “Graduation Evening in Syracuse”, focus on the activities and students of the Lesia Ukrainka Ukrainian Studies School.

The “Translation Harvest” section presents Ivan Franko's poems in their original Ukrainian and in Polish translation. This modest tribute honours the great Ukrainian poet and cultural figure, known as the Stonecutter, on the 170th anniversary of his birth and the 110th anniversary of his death.

The “In Everlasting Memory” section pays tribute to Dmytro Romanovych Shupta, a longtime friend and contributor to the Bulletin, who passed away this summer. He left behind a remarkable legacy in medicine, literature, translation and community service.

The audience members who were able to attend the presentation demonstrated considerable interest in the publication. In particular, Liudmyla Korivchak, a former lecturer at the Faculty, spoke highly of the work of the team behind the Bulletin.

The literary and scholarly journal is now entering its third decade of publication. We wish it continued success, new achievements and many more years of fruitful work!