Sofiia is a thirteen-year-old, from Ukraine, who fled to Italy because of the war. She started writing about 6 months ago and has never been published before. Sofiia mostly writes creative non-fiction, though sometimes she writes poetry too. Her music when she writes is silence. Although her hobbies often change, reading and listening to audiobooks always remain on her hobby list. She also started taking photos lately, which, as well as writing, helps her to express her emotions in a more beautiful way than usual.
1. What would you like teens outside of Ukraine to know about you or your country?
Ukraine is in the East of Europe. It has the largest area in Europe. It was a part of the Soviet Union for 72 years. Somebody could be born and could die in the USSR. It was an awful time for Ukraine. Religion wasn't allowed for some time as well as the Ukrainian language. In 1991 Ukraine became independent again. And then in 2014, Crimea was occupied by r*ssians. However, the US and some other countries did not want Ukrainian military forces to shoot rockets at r*ssians. Nobody cared except Ukrainians. After some time, r*ssians occupied some of the East territories too. The war went on for eight years there. In February 2022 r*ssians decided to occupy the whole of Ukraine. But they did not. Ukraine is fighting. So the most important thing about Ukraine and Ukrainians is that we are free.
2. Tell us what we would see if we could look out your window with you right now.
You would see some simple orange shingle roofs with chimneys and a TV antenna that is always just in the middle of the photos of the sunsets I often take standing near my window. There is also a tiny window just opposite me. I always wonder who lives in that apartment.
If you have good eyesight and it is winter (in the summer leaves close the view) you could also see a piece of the lagoon reflecting the sunlight. On the left, there is a pine tree picking out and a couple of other houses.
3. Describe your home or hometown to readers.
If you've heard something about Ukraine, you'll know its capital - Kyiv. You probably saw some photos of large churches located in the city center. If you drive for 45 minutes, you'll get to a district with extremely high buildings and almost no trees. Near a meadow on the 16th floor is located my apartment which is empty now, because I am abroad.
I lived there for 12 years. Though it is not the most touristic place in Kyiv I love it. There are a lot of playgrounds where I used to spend all summer. Each one had a special name given by my friends and me: nut tree, red slide, and many-many more.
I loved the smell of hot asphalt in summer and the small stadium where I used to ride my bike and play with my friends. A power plant is located nearby and it seems that clouds are appearing from it.
4. Where do you write? What time of day do you write? Do you have a particular writing process?
Mostly, I write in my bedroom on my computer just because I find it more convenient. I often write in the morning on the weekends or while the sun is setting, because it is the biggest source of inspiration for me (after shower J). I always try to write in one go, because otherwise, I lose my inspiration. Maybe, this is one of the reasons why I write only short stories.
6. If you described Ukraine in three words or phrases, what comes to mind?
Dignity, humor, and love.
7. How do you feel living through a war has affected your way of writing?
Well, when I now think about this, I think that if the war did not start, I would not write at all. Why? I`ll explain. Half a year ago we escaped to Italy because of the war and I did not have anything to do for a month, so I started to write. I wrote many stuff in different styles until I found the right one for me. It is a little romantic with a lot of descriptive language and tiny storylines. I often write about the war too.
8. Who are your favorite authors?
Now my taste changed and I switched from J.K. Rowling to O. Henry. He is my favorite author. His manner of writing is incredible. And I was stunned when I discovered that he wrote many of his stories while sitting in prison!
9. Besides writing, what are you interested in? (Hobbies, sports, music, etc.)
I love taking photos, embroidering, studying new languages, reading, of course, collecting different quotes, and assembling jigsaw puzzles.
I did many sports: table tennis, aikido, and dancing, but I did not like them much, as well as the music school where I studied for 7 years. I played piano and sang some traditional Ukrainian songs.
10. Tell us a bit about your family (siblings, pets, relatives).
I have a dog who is almost 3 years old. Her name is Peppilotta (like a character from A. Lindgren's book) and she is a beautiful jack-russell. My mum and dad are both physicists as well as my grandma who is still working. I don't have any brothers or sisters, only a cousin whose name is Teo. He and his parents – my uncle and my aunt are now living in Poland.
11. How did you start writing creatively? Do you remember the first creative piece you wrote?
I already told you how I started writing, so I'll tell you only about my first piece. It`s called: “The world is changed by our hearts". One day I imagined a dry leaf and then a whole story came to my mind, it became the longest creative story I`ve ever written.
12. What's your school like in terms of its writing instruction?
In terms of this aspect, it is pretty bad, I must say. We just are not taught how to do it. And even if we write something it often does not have anything in common with creative writing, I am afraid. So nobody taught me how to write, I just started doing it.
15. Any advice on how to write in a time of difficulty or turmoil? When parts of regular life are falling apart, how do you find the space in your mind and heart to write?
Even in some difficult situations, I can write. I can write when I know what's happening in Ukraine and when I am extremely sad. The most important thing is inspiration. Sometimes, when I feel very happy I just don't want to write and sometimes I am down but I do not want to lie down and sob, I just write. So, my advice is: just keep writing and don't let sadness get in your way.
17. Is writing your main outlet for handling these tough times? Is there anything else you do to cope as an adolescent “under the madness” of the world?
Writing is not a tool for me to escape or to hide from the madness of this world, I would say. It is rather a tool to express myself when I do not want to say some things out loud. When I write, I can put my thoughts and emotions in different shapes and forms and that's an important thing for me. Talking to my teen friends is the best way to deal with all of the stuff that is going on. They are in the same boat as me, as we say in Ukraine.
