Date/Time
Date(s) - Mon Dec 02 2024
2:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Notes:
The purpose of the book Path to Freedom by Dana Roman
I started writing this book about twenty years ago when our grandchildren were born. I wanted them to know about their ancestors and why we live in Canada, not the Czech Republic. The book is written in simple language. It assumes that the reader knows very little about the politics in Europe after WW2. The book would probably still be only on my computer if there had not been artsPlace looking for immigrant women’s stories. Katherine Govier organized the Shoe Project,
and I became part of it. It gave me the push and self-confidence to finish and even print the book.I concentrated on describing life behind the Iron Curtain after the war. I was three when the communists came to power. My families from both sides were devastated by socialist reforms, which confiscated every business and farm, no matter how small, and put them in ‘the hands of people’. The country which was economically one of the ten best in the world between the wars, became very poor within a few years. When it started slowly to recover politically in 1968, the time called the Prague Spring, the Soviet Army, with the token help of other Warsaw Pact Countries, came with thousands of tanks and soldiers to occupy our little country and to stop any political change.
Many Czechoslovakian people ran away from their country while the border was still open. It took Paul and me half a year to decide to emigrate. We left in March 1969, and in April of that year, the Iron Curtain fell for another twenty years.
In the book’s second part, I describe how we felt as new immigrants and how we arranged our lives in Canada without knowing how people were supposed to live here.
Reviews:
“Dana Roman’s refreshingly candid and unsentimental memoir is a compelling look at life behind the Iron Curtain and the Canadian immigrant experience. Path to Freedom is especially relevant today with the rise of dictatorial strongman regimes around the world. With dry humour and pointed irony, Roman delivers a rich family story while also movingly illustrating the abuses of a Communist regime and the fear and paranoia it created in its citizens.”
–Zsuzsi Gartner,
author of the Giller Prize-shortlisted Better Living Through Plastic Explosives and the
Writers Trust Fiction finalist, The Beguiling“Dana Roman’s creative journey has been a mesmerizing fusion of colours, textures, and emotions. As a friend and ex-colleague, I’ve witnessed Dana’s evolution as an artist. Her life of dedication and passion has been the driving force behind her exceptional creations, which adorn our hearts and souls, not just the canvas.” ~Ida Nemeth
“I met Dana Roman through The Shoe Project. She first told a part of her story there. I expect the memoir will tell us more and in just as engaging a way. You can read her shoe story online at: https://theshoeprojectstories.com/stories_session11/an-interrupted-flight”
~Katherine Govier,
prize-winning Canadian novelist and founder of The Shoe Project“Dana’s story is beautifully written. You can imagine her sitting in your garden telling you the story of her incredible life. She writes as if she’s speaking the story, drawing you close to her generous, creative, funny, brave and loving personality. Dana brings life lessons to the pages in a humorous way. You will cry and laugh. If you were born and raised in Canada, you will give thanks.” ~Colleen Peterson
About Heart Stones – A Ukrainian Immigration Story of Love and Hope by Christine Nykoluk
Last year Christine Nykoluk released her gripping debut historical fiction novel Heart Stones – A Ukrainian Immigration Story of Love and Hope, which was inspired by her own family’s stories. She completed her dialogue-rich manuscript just months before Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.
A recent Kirkus Review shared that Heart Stones is “A historically rich debut novel…the author skillfully weaves in vivid elements of Ukrainian customs and history…A poignant work with disturbing relevance to today’s battle for Ukrainian democracy.”
Nykoluk’s writing style is engaging and accessible for all types of readers. Heart Stones is of interest to anyone wanting to learn more about the history of Ukraine, the plight of refugees, or readers simply looking for an engaging fast-moving story. The author will read some passages from her book and discuss how she crafted her historical fiction novel.
About Dana Roman:
Dana was born in Prague, Czechoslovakia, and finished her Master’s Degree in Architecture there. Half a year after the Warsaw Pact occupation of Czechoslovakia in 1968, Paul and Dana managed to emigrate to Canada. She worked for ten years in architectural firms in Prague and Toronto before switching to art. Dana took many art courses at Ontario College of Art, Alberta College of Art, and Vancouver Island School of Art, as well as in Japan and the United States.
Dana has won many awards for her visual art locally, nationally, and internationally. One of the local public art awards is the triptych, which hangs at the Canmore Town Hall in the Council Chamber.
Dana has lived in Canmore for the last 26 years and is known as an enthusiastic volunteer, past president of the Canmore Art Guild, and a few times Canmore Art Guild Gallery Director. She also served on juries in Alberta for multiple public art competitions. In 2011, Dana was the recipient of the Canmore Mayor’s Spotlight on the Arts Award.
Most of the seniors in Canmore know Dana as an enthusiastic hiker and skier. Many of them have also read her book Path to Freedom, and even a few book clubs have discussed it.
www.romandana.com
www.instagram.com/danaroman94. www.etsy.com/DanaRomanSilk
www.saatchiart.com/danaroman www.facebook.com/danaromanAbout Christine Nykoluk:
Christine Nykoluk has been writing in various formats for the last 30 years, primarily as part of her work as a Rangeland Management Specialist (now retired). Christine and her husband Karl Beaulieu live in Canmore and enjoy cross-country skiing, hiking and backpacking. She is also a member of the Mountain Cabin Quilters Guild. the have both been members of the CSA for a number of years.
