Volyn Lesia Ukrainka National University has once again become one of the first schools in Ukraine outside Kyiv where Den/The Day presents its new projects. Ties between the school and the newspaper are especially robust not only because both engage in long-standing cooperation, but also due to the fact that the Editor-in-Chief Larysa Ivshyna has been the university’s supervisory board’s member for a long time and, as noted by the rector Professor Ihor Kotsan, is one of the most active members on the board. Presently, The Day’s books can be seen on the shelves of Volynian university libraries, partly thanks to the Volyn National’s Alumni Association’s efforts, and the number of the newspaper’s subscribers in the region is growing steadily.
The Day’s Editor-in-Chief Ivshyna met with Volynian intellectual community at the readers’ conference “Live History Obliges Us to Live Differently” on December 2. During the event, she presented the latest issue in The Day’s Library series called The Power of the Soft Sign (despite having been just published, the book is already rare, as almost all copies have been sold out). Ivshyna was asked more than 30 questions, both oral and written, and the meeting with the editor-in-chief lasted more than three hours. The participants talked about James Mace and reasons for his work being suppressed now, about contemporary Ukrainian emigrants and means to bring them home, and about the information society and its failings. The Day-2011 photo exhibit will be in Lutsk till January 20, 2012, and Volyn’s residents as well as visitors to the region still have enough time to see for themselves this “mobile gallery on wheels,” which will then go throughout Ukraine. Therefore, we are waiting for you at the Volyn National University’s library at 30a Vynnychenko Street, Monday through Friday, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The Day’s Ukrainian-language edition will cover in more detail in its December 9 issue the lively conversations and intellectual discussions that have taken place in Lutsk.
Yurii Hromyk, Dean of the Institute of Philology and Journalism, Volyn Lesia Ukrainka National University:
“I would note that the exhibition, as always, has been organized up to the highest standards. It has presented some very decent works that catch one’s eye and make it difficult to go away from them. Concerning trends, I would note that social issues are becoming more prevalent each time I see this exhibition. I am impressed by the fact that politicians’ faces are becoming a less prominent subject, although they can be shot in very interesting perspectives, while photos of common people and children are the most direct and sincere ones; children’s photos are just fascinating. I have seen a lot of photos where society’s ills are shown at their worst. The photo of a begging woman covered with snow is especially striking. As a rule, books explore the problems of the past, while photos are concerned with the present. Overall, I think that The Day is probably the only mass media which deals with the history of Ukraine at a decent level. Therefore, both the idea of the newspaper and the idea of the website are worth of our approval and respect. Even if one considers the creation of the website to be a kind of concession to the most modern technology, it is good and well all the same, as the newspaper is looking for new contacts with readers, and such an attitude should be welcomed. Indeed, often it is easier to enter the website than to look for a newspaper. But nothing can replace the paper edition.”
Aliona Romaniuk, Volyn’s best student of 2011, Youth Policy Advisor to Lutsk City Mayor:
“I love The Day’s photo exhibitions, I come here every year with great pleasure, and look forward to them eagerly. This year’s exhibition has struck me and caused the feelings that I had not experienced for a long time. These include laughter, joy, and excitement. I am more impressed by the works of amateurs, as their photos have more soul in them, they are randomly shot and, apparently, that is why they catch those moments that trained photographers are unable to catch. I see Maksym Dundiuk’s photo Tuberculosis as an especially striking one, because it raises an issue that is little discussed now for unknown reason. In any case, these exhibitions are a chance to reach out to the people, to their emotions and feelings, because in an era of information technologies the person withdraws into her- or himself, wants to break away from the reality and immerse her- or himself in the virtual space, but photo exhibitions return the person to the society and to the basic values. This year, we have organized a student photo exhibition at the Institute of Philology and Journalism. We learn from comparing our works with professionals’ ones, we see our failings, and this provides a stimu-lus for our improvement. I have heard good reviews of the new book The Power of the Soft Sign and I want to buy it.”
