Standing Up

By Rona Altrows, Suzanne van Leendert, Brian Moses and 9 more

Every day, things happen right in front of you that you believe are wrong. You could act on that belief. Most days, for all sorts of reasons, you don't bother. But on that day, for whatever reason, you did. You rose up: against tyranny, convention, rudeness, unfavourable odds, malevolence, apathy. Against your boss, your barista, your worst enemy, your best friend, yourself. Saved the day. Actually, maybe made things worse. Made a difference. Got flattened. Did it work? Well, life's complicated. But one thing's for sure: On that day, you saw something you believed was wrong and you took action.
 
This book engage different degrees and manners of standing up, and what can happen when you act on your beliefs. These are true personal nonfiction stories and poems.
 
The Russian invasion of Ukraine has displaced over 12 million Ukrainians, culminating in Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. But the Ukrainian people are pushing back, preserving their culture, and rising, and Canada is there to help. This anthology's proceeds will be 100% donated to the Canada-Ukraine Foundation, which coordinates, develops, organizes and delivers assistance projects generated by Canadians and directed to Ukraine.
 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Off Topic Publishing
• Release date: Apr 30, 2023
• ISBN: 9781777988869

Book preview

Standing Up

An anthology for Ukraine

Edited by

Marion Lougheed with Bruce Lilly

Off Topic Publishing

Copyright © Off Topic Publishing and Marion Lougheed

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise without written permission from the publisher.

It is illegal to copy this book, post it to a website, or distribute it by any other means without written permission, except for brief passages quoted in a review.

The copyright to each poem or story is owned by the respective author listed on the page where that poem or story appears.

First print edition: April 2023

ISBN: 9781777988807

Edited by Marion Lougheed with Bruce Lilly

Layout and Cover Design: Marion Lougheed

Cover Image: Amir Esrafili

Off Topic Publishing

www.offtopicpublishing.com

Table of Contents

Foreword

War - Brian Moses

Dirty Little Others - Renee Cronley

Miracle at St. Agnes, A Twice-Told Tale - Kate Falvey

Blue Rosewater She - D. C. Houston

B.I.T.C.H. - Mary Jumbelic

Memories of Wood - Lawrence Maxwell

brother's head/father's sacrifice - Pacella Chukwuma- Eke

Sisterhood of Silence - Ngozi Andrew

When did you lose the power of speech? - Rona Altrows

wisteria - Nathaniel Calhoun

Readings For Ukraine - Danuta E. Kosk-Kosicka

Sunflowers in Flaming Fields - Suzanne van Leendert

Contributors

Foreword

I tell my doctor I’m having nightmares. The invasion of Ukraine is overwhelming. I worry about family I’ve never met, about displaced families and how they are managing. How could this happen? When will it stop? I don’t know what to do.

She hands me a prescription and says, This will help you sleep, reduce your anxiety, and relieve your fears. It reads, Don’t watch the news.

As a second generation Ukrainian I am acutely aware of the generational traumas faced by those displaced by aggression and the importance of the unwavering support required to promote healing for all. This is especially true for families waiting to return to those who’ve stayed behind to defend their homeland.

So I don’t watch the news for a week, but still have nightmares about fallen soldiers, children, dead and dying in the streets, mass graves in small villages, cities reduced to rubble. I try to join the fight, but they tell me I’m too old. I wake up startled, feeling helpless. 

On social media I listen to a young girl playing her violin in a bomb shelter in the middle of an attack. I feel proud of her. I am astounded at her strength and