Messages from Ukraine by Gregg Bucken-Knapp & Joonas Sildre

Author:Gregg Bucken-Knapp & Joonas Sildre
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Ukraine – History – Russian Invasion, 2022– – Comic books, strips, etc., Civilians in war – Ukraine – Comic books, Graphic novels.
Publisher: University of Toronto Press

How involved in this process were the people who appear in the book?

We completed the draft pages before sharing the details of the project with those whose messages are included, knowing that obtaining their consent would be an absolute necessity. Given the stress they were under, we didn’t want to overwhelm them with messages. We knew our seed of an idea was not their most pressing concern at that time. Gregg had read several posts on social media from Ukrainian colleagues who expressed appreciation for receiving messages of support but pointed out that there simply wasn’t time to respond to each and every one, given the day-to-day reality of the war. We also wanted to get a feel for how the idea would take shape. So, it was only once we had a set of advanced sketches that we contacted the individuals.

We shared the details of the project and copies of the pages, and requested feedback, with the aim of getting consent from all involved. The responses were unanimously positive, which gave us the green light to keep developing the book. Moreover, we were energized by the enthusiastic, encouraging tone of their responses. Many of the individuals wrote that they viewed the book as an important way to keep the public spotlight on the everyday experiences of Ukrainians whose lives were dramatically upended by the full-scale war in those first two weeks. Several pointed out what they regarded as a realistic portrayal of their experiences. One person told us how important it was to see that her pet was included. All told, this made us feel confident not only that we had their support, but that we had a shared vision of the project.

As authors, we both felt strongly that we would not be writing this book for personal gain. We see it as a contribution to keeping a public spotlight on the war. We aim to honor those in the book, and the millions of others who have had to face similar hardships and make excruciating decisions.

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