Дівчина, що береже історію і дарує надію

We all have our dreams and goals. For some, it's to jump with a parachute, for others to climb to the highest peak in the world, and for others to create something unique and magical. But not all of us are able to reach the end of our journey. We often stop when we encounter obstacles or when we have doubts.

Тож, шановний читачу, ти напевно вже здогадався, що сьогодні історія про розвиток таланту та здійснення мрій, навіть, коли ти живеш в країні, де триває війна і постійно прокидаєшся від звуків вибухів.

З початку повномасштабного вторгнення Кривий ріг зазнає численних ракетних ударів, від яких постраждало вже багато населення. Але, тут, незважаючи на війну, досі проживає ще одна неймовірна дівчина Поліна, яка безмежно любить свою батьківщину і залишається в Україні, щоб наближати перемогу своїм талантом. Талант – це також зброя, якщо його розвивати і вдосконалювати. Вона народилася з  порушеннями опорно-рухового апарату, однак не боїться труднощів і знаходить усюди підказки та вірить в те, що все можливо. Що ж, давайте знайомитись:

• Hello, everyone. I'm Polina Livshits, I'm 31. Since childhood, I was fond of movies and couldn't imagine myself without books. I started reading adult literature right away, but for some reason, books with illustrations were not very interesting to me. And now I'm an aspiring writer with my own books and creative works. In addition, I work in movies and write screenplays.

• - When did you start writing fairy tales and short stories for children?
• Напевно я почала складати казки з шести/семи років, мама записувала їх, тоді я ще не вміла писати, бо запізно пішла до школи через хворобу. Першою була казка про маленьку ластівку. У 8 років я вже записувала свої твори сама, а в 11 – вийшла моя збірка «Кришталевий дзвоник».

• - Tell us how your first collection came about.
• I participated in one of the competitions for children with disabilities and won first place. During the competition, I met the unfortunately deceased Anatolii Lipnytskyi, the editor of the local magazine-almanac Saksahan. He was the chairman of the jury and he liked my work. Mr. Lipnytsky asked for other works, read them, and suggested that I publish a collection. We argued for a long time about the title. There were a lot of suggestions, but I insisted on the option "Crystal Bell".

• - What children's literary competitions have you participated in?
• - When I was at school, I often participated in various children's competitions and festivals. In particular, I won prizes at the international festival "Lastochka", and every year I took part in the very popular competition "Cathedrals of our souls", which probably exists now.

• - Where did you study after school?
• After graduation, I had to take a break for a year because I was sick. After that, I passed the external independent evaluation and entered Kryvyi Rih State Pedagogical University and graduated with a bachelor's degree in part-time studies. However, I did not work in my specialty because I did not see any prospects. It was a forced choice to enter KSPU, as I thought at the time that I would not be able to get another profession because of my disability.

• - Tell us about the international contest Coronation of the Word. How did it all start?
• It was a children's fairy tale. I illustrated it and submitted it to the Young Coronation of the Word contest. Now I don't submit my work because being an expert is much more interesting. Although I didn't win any awards, I think I gained much more from the competition, such as the opportunity to study at Borys Grinchenko Kyiv University. I enrolled in a full-time master's program in literary creativity because it has all the conditions for people with disabilities and you can study online. Moreover, later the coronavirus pandemic began and all students had distance learning. During my studies, I was offered to become an expert at the Coronation of the Word.

• - Was it difficult to combine your artistic activity with your studies at the B. Grinchenko Kyiv Polytechnic?
• Combining study and creativity is not difficult at all. On the contrary, studying inspired me and made me do something. If only there was a little more time in the day, but otherwise everything is fine.

• - In 2021, you presented your first novel, The Snow of Oblivion, a dystopia with action elements. Do you remember what it was like?
• It was a meeting with readers. After all, as part of the book arsenal, each library held book presentations. So, at the level of our city, there was a presentation of my first novel, which was published in the winter of 2020.

• - How did you come up with the idea for the dystopian novel Snow of Oblivion? What was the process of writing, editing, and publishing this novel like?
• This happens to me rarely now, but more often in my youth: I have interesting dreams. They are plot-driven, like whole stories or movies, and I started writing them down, but I thought no one would need it. When I entered Borys Grinchenko Kyiv National University, I had to think about the topic of my thesis right away, because the master's program lasts only a year and a half. I met with my supervisor and told her about my novel. When she asked me what it was about, I shared my opinion that it was unlikely that anyone would read it because it was a dystopia. Unfortunately, science fiction is not a popular topic in Ukraine. So after the meeting, I had the idea to write my thesis, in which I would explore the history and development of dystopia, and publish this book. It seems that dystopia is always about the future, where everything is bad, there is a nuclear war and an apocalypse, or a dictator comes, but in fact it is a very interesting thing because you can talk about problems that are relevant today through fiction. I illustrated and edited this novel myself. The editing process was the most difficult. It's not difficult to edit someone else's text, but your own: when you see it 24-7, you don't notice mistakes. The whole text seems to you either very good or very bad.

• - When did you start studying screenwriting?
• I finished my master's degree and wanted to go to graduate school. I had already bought all the necessary literature and started actively studying a foreign language up to B2 level, because without it it was impossible to enter. And then my friends got together and gave me screenwriting courses. They knew that I was very fond of cinema - it was my childhood dream. I didn't expect this, because my friends didn't give it to me for my birthday, they just gave it to me. I went somewhere on business and was confronted with the fact: here are the courses, you've been wanting to do this for a long time, so why don't you try it? First I took one course, then another, then another, and I already had connections, and I immediately began to fulfill small orders.

• - Tell us about the Rhythm Theater. When did you start playing in this theater?
• Одного разу, мені запропонували написати коротенький сценарій до відеоролика для бібліотеки і зіграти молоду читачку. Туди також запросили відому в нашому районі акторку-аматорку, ми грали разом в цьому відео. Я давно хотіла десь зіграти і вона відвела мене до театру «Ритм». Йому вже більше 60 років. Це аматорський театр, який має звання народний. Через війну діяльність театру на паузі, але п’єси та концерти можна переглянути на нашому YouTube каналі. Ми займали призові місця на багатьох міжнародних фестивалях і це було цікаво.

• - What do you enjoy more, writing scripts or being an actress?
• Writing scripts is my job, and acting in the theater is a hobby and a rest for the soul. When you enter a different character, it is a very good reset of the emotional state.

• - Do you remember your first performance?
• It was a reporting concert, and the theater director asked me to be the host because I had just joined the team and all the scenes were already rehearsed. I think I did a good job for my debut.

• - Who is your idol or role model?
• I don't have any idols as such. At every stage of life, there are people I admire and look up to.

• - Do people close to you share your passion for literature and art?
• If it wasn't for my parents, I wouldn't exist in every sense of the word. I am the kind of person who often doubts myself. They always motivate me and support me the most.

• Над чим ви зараз працюєте?
• I am currently working on a TV series, and I also have an idea for a new book. I've already written a lot of things, but I'm always working or studying... In short, I don't get around to it, or I just don't dare.

• - What do you like to do in your free time?
• I like to go to the countryside if I have the opportunity, and I relax there a bit. I love to draw, but I don't have enough time for it, and when I was a kid I even dreamed of becoming an artist.

• - How did the war affect your work?
• Last year, I wrote a lot of plays about the war, and now I feel that I need to add positive things to myself and society, I need to write about something else. In 2022, when the start of the full-scale invasion came as a shock to everyone, there was a need to put all my pain and anger on paper, and now I need to move on.

• - Do you plan to offer your plays for theatrical productions?
• I would like to, but few theaters are working now. I hope that after the victory we will show plays about the war as historical events that happened in the past.

• - Polina, do you often talk about your disability? Have you ever had to hide it?
• I never hide it, but on the contrary, when I meet people, I tell them about my disability so that there are no false expectations or impressions. I immediately say who I am and what my capabilities are, and the fact that there is a lot of hate and disdain everywhere, I just got used to living with it. Although, sometimes it seems to me that people treat others this way, regardless of whether they have a disability or not.

• - Do you often get rejected for work as a writer or screenwriter because of your disability?
• I have noticed that the more you are in a cultural environment, the less problems related to disability arise. They always appear at the everyday level.

• - What advice would you give to other people with disabilities?
• Although it is very difficult, accepting your disability and realizing that it will be much harder than for others. However, in the lives of healthy people, difficult situations also occur, because the path is never easy. If the path is easy, then it is worthless. My second piece of advice to people with disabilities is to be attentive and look closely at your friends.

• - What are your wishes to your readers?
• Єдине моє побажання всім – це ніколи не здаватись. Навіть, коли у вас падіння: перепочиньте, переосмисліть це, подивіться хороший фільм, почитайте улюблену книжку та пам’ятайте про те, що треба рухатись далі і досягати своєї мети. Дуже погано жити без мети. Якщо її немає то шукайте: це ще важчий шлях, але не припиняйте рух, знаходьте підтримку і будьте обережними, адже всюди є свої пастки!

Своїм прикладом Поліна розповідає нам про справжню жіночу силу, котра породжує незламність. Адже незважаючи на війну, постійні повітряні тривоги та прильоти ракет, що вже півтора року змушують страждати українців, вона продовжує творити: писати сценарії, в яких розповідає про події сьогодення, щоб нащадки пам’ятали, хто ми і як важко діставалась нам незалежність. Інвалідність не стала перешкодою для дівчини, вона йде своїм тернистим шляхом, і за допомогою власної творчості популяризує українську мову, демонструє національну культуру, адже без культури народ забуває про свою ідентичність.

Її вміння долати життєві пастки, не засмучуватись через перешкоди і завжди знаходити рішення допомагає не лише жити, але й творити. Поліна береже національну пам’ять і розповідає про страшні події війни іншим через кіно та літературу. а також вона не втрачає надії на щасливе майбутнє і закликає до цього інших, навіть, якщо життя – далеко не казка і в ньому не існує чарівників.

By Tamila Koval

"Unbreakable" is a series of articles about Ukrainian women and girls that motivate, delight and inspire!

This initiative is being implemented within the framework of the project "Promoting the rights of women and girls with disabilities by strengthening their participation and leadership in communities", implemented by the National Assembly of Persons with Disabilities of Ukraine with the support of UN Women Ukraine and the Women's Peace and Humanitarian Fund.

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About the United Nations Women's Peace and Humanitarian Fund (WPHF)

The Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund (WPHF) is the only global financing mechanism exclusively dedicated to supporting women’s participation in peace and security processes and humanitarian action. Governed by a diverse group of civil society, government, and UN representatives, WPHF is a multi-partner trust fund that mobilizes urgently needed funding for local, women-led organizations and works alongside women on the front lines to build lasting peace. Since 2016, WPHF has provided funding and strengthened the capacities of over 1,000 local women’s civil society organizations advancing the Women, Peace and Security agenda and delivering humanitarian action in 41 crisis-affected countries.

This publication has been prepared with the financial support of the United Nations Women's Peace and Humanitarian Fund (WPHF), which does not imply that the views and contents expressed herein are officially endorsed or recognized by the United Nations."