Debut Writing Collection From Ukrainian Hoboken Mom Raises Awareness

HOBOKEN, NJ — Hoboken writer Vera Sirota has been refining and shaping her debut book of poems, inspired by her Ukrainian heritage, for some time, and finally got to see her baby into the world last month with a reading and celebration on the west side of the city.

Sirota, one of three founders of a new arts event, "West of Willow," often supports other people's projects and fundraisers, and they paid back her kindness by crowding in to listen to her read at Cafe Vista. She has dedicated her debut book, "We Bow to No One," to her grandmother, Daria, a Ukrainian poet who immigrated to America.

"Thank you for showing me the mystical alchemy or words," the dedication says.

"She wrote seven poetry collections in Ukrainian," explained Sirota, who often volunteers around Hoboken and is a mentor in New York City with Girls Write Now. "She wrote passionate patriotic and love poems. Her daughter, my aunt Ksenia Rychtycka, is also a poet and writer. We both carry on my Baba Daria’s legacy. Writing poetry is how I stay connected to her. I grew up reciting her poetry at readings."

She added, "She taught me that a writer’s voice can never be extinguished, and how critical it is for women to nurture their own creativity."

But while women's words have prevailed for centuries, women and families are still coming under fire in Ukraine, where war continues after the 2022 Russian invasion.

Sirota's poems, evocative and precise, tell of grief and hope. She dedicates one poem, "Merciful Memories of an Unconquerable Mind," to "the woman who was found naked, except for a fur coat, held hostage by Russian soldiers in a potato cellar. Death by gunshot to the head. Bucha, Ukraine."

The woman endured sexual violence at the hand of the Russians, and was killed as part of a slaughter of civilians, according to news reports.

In another poem, Sirota writes, "I am 99 years old / I survived the Nazi invasion / I survived Stalin's terror / I survived Soviet oppressors / I will survive Putin's pillagers / Hope animates my heart / because this is a national trait / a pride that propels us."

Sirota — who works in communications for the Hoboken Museum while writing and raising her family in Hoboken— said, "It was a very important project for me these last two years. It definitely feels like having a third daughter."

The volume contains 16 poems, and she's working on larger project, she said.

She said she's especially grateful to her two West of Willow co-founders, Jack Silbert and Karen Kuhl.

You can find more information about the book at https://bottlecap.press/collections/bottlecap-features/products/noone or pick it up at the Hoboken Historical Museum, 1301 Hudson St.

Last year, Sirota was a finalist for a David Wade Hogue Scholarship for poetry. Find out more about Sirota and her writing here.