Ukrainian poet Olena Boryspholets, Ithaca City of Asylum Writer-in-Residence, will present her work at Cornell Nov. 10, in “Don’t Look Back”: A Reading from ‘Orpheus and Eurydice in New York.’” The reading will take place at 5 p.m. in the Guerlac Room, A.D. White House.
The poems in “‘Orpheus and Eurydice” range over a vast part of the world, from the Ukrainian steppe and the Black Sea all the way to the U.S.
“I am so delighted to bring Olena’s fascinating work and engagement with Ancient Greek material here to Cornell, through the generosity of the Society for Humanities and the ongoing support of Ithaca City of Asylum,” said Athena Kirk, associate professor of classics in the College of Arts and Sciences. “This will be the first in an ongoing series of events related to Eurydice this and next academic year, and it’s marvelous that Olena has agreed to kick things off.”
In addition to “Orpheus and Eurydice,” Boryspholets is the author of the short story book “Ukrainian Detox” and the long-form poem New Calypso. She is a member of the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine, a co-founder of the public organization Creativity Without Borders, and a member of PEN America.
Following Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Boryspholets spent a year in Poland as an actor in the Polish-Ukrainian play “Life in Case of War.” Currently a Research Scholar at Chatham University, she was a Research Scholar at the University of Pittsburgh from 2023 to 2026 and has been a Writer-in-Residence at the City of Asylum Fellowship for Ukrainian Writers since 2023.
The event is sponsored by the Department of Classics and the Society for the Humanities.
Boryspholets will also perform at the Kitchen Theatre on Nov. 13 in “New Calypso,” a musical theater event featuring Boryshpolets as both author and actor, and musician Lesya Verba playing the bandura, a Ukrainian folk instrument. The poetic performance tells a tale of navigating wars, the hypocrisy of politicians, and the destruction of the world by dictators. The event is co-sponsored by the Ithaca City of Asylum.
Support for these events is provided by a Humanities Impact Grant.
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