Since the 2022 invasion Russia has systematically targeted Ukrainian culture and heritage, as well as further oppressing the language, to falsely justify its aggression. As such the RIBA Writing Academy has become one of the most important institutions of our times, empowering Ukrainians all over the world to preserve their language, culture, literary heritage and to document and archive the war through poetry, prose, novels and non-fiction. In this event, novelist Philippa Holloway, who has been teaching on the programme since 2022, will interview the Directors and Co-founders of RIBA about their academy and will discuss how writing is an act of resistance against cultural erasure. Three of the Academy’s best writers will read extracts from their work, and there will be an Audience Q&A to follow.
Dr. Philippa Holloway – Curator and teacher at the RIBA Writing Academy
Philippa Holloway is an internationally published fiction writer and academic. Her debut novel, The Half-life of Snails (Parthian, 2022) was set partly in Ukraine and was longlisted for the RSL Ondaatje Prize and praised on BBC Radio 4s Front Row, and her debut short story collection, Untethered, is now out (Parthian, 2024) and she has been commissioned to write original short works for the BBC. She has been curating courses and teaching for the RIBA Writing Academy since 2022 and works at Edge Hill University as a Researcher Development Fellow.
Dmytro Raimov – Founder and President of the RIBA Writing Academy.
In 2016, he launched a miniature creative writing course alongside Ukrainian writers and literary scholars in Kyiv, Ukraine. Over eight years, the course evolved into an academy with over 3,000 students and 200 instructors from Ukraine, the UK, the USA, and Canada. The Academy is a member of the European Association of Creative Writing Programmes (EACWP), the largest institution for teaching creative writing in Ukraine. Since 2022, the Academy has been operating online under Dmytro’s leadership, focusing on developing educational programs, publishing projects, and cultural exchange initiatives. Currently, the Academy publishes student works in Ukraine, organises cultural exchange programs in the UK, and develops new science fiction, fantasy, and fairy tale writing courses. Dmytro holds a degree in philosophy from Ukraine and a diploma in clinical psychology from France. He also leads RIBA Academy and is a practising psychoanalyst and clinical psychologist.
Lyubko Deresh – Co-founder and teacher of the RIBA Writing Academy
Lyubko has had a cult-like following among the younger generation in Ukraine since the release of his novel Cult at age 18, followed quickly by another novel written during his early high school years. He has since authored eight additional prose books and two children’s books. As one of Europe’s most widely translated Ukrainian authors, Lyubko’s books—including Cult—are available in German, French, Italian, Polish, Serbian, Bulgarian, and Romanian. Though his writing style has evolved significantly since his early twenties—when he was dubbed the ‘Stephen King of Ukraine’—Lyubko has retained a loyal readership in Ukraine and Germany. He is a two-time finalist of the BBC Book of the Year Award for his novels Intent! and A Bit of Darkness, and his novella Jacob’s Head is set to be adapted into a film in Ukraine. A resident of Kyiv, Lyubko has spent significant time abroad in various regions of the world.
*These are difficult times. We know some people may struggle to afford full price tickets. If you would like to attend this event but can’t afford to, please contact info@writingonthewall.org.uk. All queries will be treated in confidence.
Online
£3.00
Date: May 8, 2025
Time: 5:00 pm
Ends: 6:00 pm
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