Essays
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Odesa of My Childhood #5: “The Beach”
"The beach always greeted us with the scent of algae that had perished during the night storm, the ruddy sight of boiled shrimp, hearty bellows of “sugar roosters on a sti-i-i-ick!”, bouncy balls attached to rubber bands and wrapped in cheap multi-colored foil – and...
Odesa of My Childhood #4: Umbrella
Oleg continues writing and sending us his essays through all the chaos of the war. Send Oleg an email - he'd love to hear your thoughts about his writing!Odesa of My Childhood #4 "Umbrella" by Oleg Veretskiy"The roof of the dovecote, which I usually climbed onto in a...
Odesa of My Childhood #3: Green Apricots
"Green apricots are not a treat," recalls Oleg. "It is an unripe apricot fruit that children of my childhood simply ate despite, or maybe because of, the prohibitions of adults. Too many green apricots eaten with unfiltered tap water could cause an upset stomach,...
Odesa of My Childhood #2: Secret Ingredient
Oleg is currently recovering from injuries while supporting his unit, and would love to hear what you think of this story! Pictured: The author as a young boy in the early 1980’s.
Odesa of My Childhood #1: “What About the Stars?”
Welcome to Oleg's New Series about His Beloved City! Please sign up for Oleg's mailing list to get early access to these new writings. The author as a young boy in the early 1980's. Oleg is currently recovering from injuries while supporting his unit, and would love...
War Through My Eyes #13: Burger
“At that moment, I noticed a little girl frozen in place at this scene. She looked after the boy, then at the hamburger he had thrown, and there were tears in her eyes. I went up to her to find out what happened.”