Tag: Ukrainian

LeBrun, Cynthia. (Prince George. BC.)

Member of the Writers Union of Canada; the Canadian Society of Children’s Authors, Illustrators and Performers (CANSCAIP); the Federation of BC Writers. 

In-person visits: $300 for one session, $500. All venues, library preferred. Equipment required:  large table, microphone for larger groups, projector and screen for PowerPoint, and connectivity for laptop.

Virtual visits (via Zoom): $200 per session (1 hour).

Travel: Travel fees are waived within 100 km of Prince George. Beyond that, mileage is charged at $0.50 per km (round trip).

2022 winner of the Peterson Literary Emerging Writers Grant for a book that promotes a better understanding of the Ukrainian experience. Finalist for the BC and Yukon Book Prizes’ Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize.

Cynthia LeBrun is a writer, educator, and former teacher who brings history to life through fact-based, carefully researched historical fiction. She is the author of Black Sunflowers and its forthcoming sequel, Stolen Sunflowers. Cynthia has presented at libraries, museums, and community events across British Columbia, offering engaging and interactive talks that connect past events to lived experience. Cynthia tailors her programs to appeal to both secondary students and adult audiences.

Program: (Grades 10–12 and Adults)

Surviving Darkness: A Ukrainian Family’s Resilience Through the Holodomor and Holocaust
Drawing from her book Black Sunflowers, which was inspired by a true story, Cynthia LeBrun brings to life one of the darkest and least understood chapters of Ukrainian history. Through vivid storytelling, audiences learn about the devastating impact of Stalin’s collectivization policies, the gulag system of exile, and the Holodomor (“death by hunger”), a famine weaponized to destroy Ukrainian identity. Cynthia also explores the Nazi invasion of Ukraine, highlighting both the Holocaust’s toll on Jewish communities and the forced labor of Ukrainian youth on German farms and in factories.

This presentation supports curriculum topics on the Holocaust, the Holodomor, genocide, and World War II, while also helping students connect Ukraine’s past to the present-day conflict. Above all, it is a powerful story of resilience and survival against both Stalin and Hitler—revealing how one family endured and how a people held on to their culture and humanity in the face of destruction.

Format: Here is what will be covered in the 60-minute session:

  • Where I come from and how I became a writer
  • My book and where I got the inspiration for it.
  • PowerPoint presentation
  •  Author reading from Black Sunflowers
  • Q&A

Contact Cynthia to book a visit:

    Skrypuch, Marsha Forchuk (Brantford ON)

     Writers Union Member. Fiction & NF, Multi awards, internationally bestselling. All ages. $400 plus HST for 1 session, $650 for 2, $900 for 3 and $1100 for 4, + travel (.68 cents per kilometer, round-trip for SW ON).

    Virtual Visits: $300 plus HST, per session.

    Marsha is an experienced and passionate speaker who tailors each presentation to the group in front of her. As the author of picture books, middle grade novels, narrative non-fiction and YA novels, she can present to an entire school over the course of a day. She also loves speaking to adult groups and she loves loves loves giving writing workshops. 

    Presentations by grade

    For most presentations, Marsha reveals her struggles with dyslexia and not being able to read until she was 9. Marsha talks about why she writes about war from a kid’s point of view and why she considers herself a librarian/detective. She also explains how she became a princess if asked.

    Here is an example of her themes by grade:

    JK to 1: two 30 minute storytelling sessions for the price of one full session ($400+HST) using When Mama Goes To Work.

    2 to 4: 45 to 60 minutes: Storytelling session plus Q&A on topic/book of your choice. Most of Marsha’s books delve into the issue of war and displacement from a kid’s point of view. For this age group, this topic can best be presented via specific books:

    Ukraine’s long struggle under war: Silver Threads, Enough.

    Vietnamese refugee books: Sky of Bombs Sky of Stars, Too Young to Escape and Adrift at Sea. 

    Armenian Genocide, orphan refugees: Aram’s Choice, Call Me Aram.

    4 to 8: Most of Marsha’s books are for this age group and she can present her WWII novels, and Winterkill, set during the Holodomor, but Marsha’s most requested presentation right now is about her brand new Kidnapped from Ukraine trilogy. Book one, Under Attack, has received rave reviews including starred reviews from Kirkus and Bookist, plus this from Canadian Children’s Book News:  “…Under Attack is an invaluable must-read and must-have educational resource for public, schools and home libraries everywhere. Lingering long after the last compelling page is turned, this timely book is inarguably a stirring catalyst for in-depth discussion…” Very highly recommended

    Book 2, Standoff, is published on Oct 7, and book 3, Still Alive, will be published in April 2026.

    Maximum group sizes for presentations: 45 for JK to 3. 100+ for everyone else.

    Writing Workshops work best with 16 or so participants

    Writing Workshop Topics:

    Teaching fun self-editing techniques to students in grades 4 to 12.

    How to create an awesome villain.

    How to assist gifted student writers (of any age) without tearing your hair out in frustration.

    Techniques for punching through writer’s block.

    Grade 12 Writers’ Craft personal memoir writing

    Other topics upon request.

    All Venues, library preferred. Equipment required: A glass of water, lunch (egg salad sandwich on brown bread) if she’s staying for the day. A table to spread her things out on. A microphone for larger groups or in the gym, or if the room acoustics are questionable. A screen and projector for power-point.

    Please note: Her surname is pronounced SKRIPP-ick.

    Contact Marsha for a visit: