��ɫ��Ƶ

Ceuros hosted a moving and thought‑provoking event yesterday evening as acclaimed Ukrainian poet and Armed Forces of Ukraine Marine Yaryna Chornohuz joined Clare‑based author Greg Dinner for an in‑depth conversation on the power of language in wartime. The event, which drew a strong and engaged audience, offered rare insight into life on the combat line and the role poetry can play in processing, witnessing and resisting the realities of war.

Chornohuz, who is currently serving with the 140th Marine Reconnaissance Battalion, has become one of the most significant cultural voices in contemporary Ukraine. Her poetry, shaped directly by the experience of front‑line service, has earned her widespread recognition, including the Shevchenko National Prize (2024) for her collection "dasein: defense of presence", the Medal for Lifesaving (2022) and, earlier, the 2020 Smoloskyp literary award for "How the War Circle Bends".

In conversation with Dinner, she spoke candidly about what words become in times of war and how poetry itself changes under the pressure of violence and survival. The evening was marked by moments of deep reflection as Chornohuz described the emotional and psychological terrain of combat, how soldiers navigate loss, fear and moral complexity, and how poetry can serve as both anchor and outlet.

Attendees were particularly struck by her discussion of poetry as a form of testimony: a way of documenting what cannot be ignored and a form of resistance against erasure, occupation and silence. Through her readings, she demonstrated how language can hold the weight of wartime experience without collapsing under it.

The event also featured readings from “dasein: defense of presence”, recently published by Jantar Publishing. Chornohuz shared pieces that moved between stark frontline imagery and moments of intimacy, clarity and resilience—poems that reveal what it means to defend both a country and a sense of self.

The evening concluded with a book signing, giving attendees the opportunity to meet the poet and soldier whose voice continues to shape the cultural and moral landscape of Ukraine today.

Insightful, powerful and deeply human, the event offered an unforgettable encounter with a writer who lives and creates at the intersection of words and war, where poetry becomes a vessel for memory, resilience and meaning.