Uilleam Blacker
@uilleamblacker.bsky.social
I write about Ukraine and eastern Europe, literature and culture, memory and cities. I translate Ukrainian literature. I'm from Scotland.
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INTRO
www.uilleamblacker.com
However it came about, I'm grateful for so many new followers here. If you want to read what I've written on Ukrainian/east-central European culture/history (sometimes some politics), or my translations of some fabulous Ukrainian authors, its mostly gathered at this website: www.uilleamblacker.com
Reposted by Uilleam Blacker
Fortunate to hear writer Volodymyr Rafeyenko speak on “Language, Identity, and the Experience of Occupation” at Yale, moderated by @uilleamblacker.bsky.social .
Rafeyenko’s new work: books.huri.harvard.edu/books/signal...
Blacker’s latest piece: www.londonukrainianreview.org/posts/defens...
Rafeyenko’s new work: books.huri.harvard.edu/books/signal...
Blacker’s latest piece: www.londonukrainianreview.org/posts/defens...
Defensive Wall: Why Ukraine’s Culture Is Everyone’s Fight
To understand how to reinforce Ukraine’s security, we must examine the strategies being used to undermine it. Uilleam Blacker argues that culture is a crucial element of Russia’s aggression, and that ...
www.londonukrainianreview.org
October 29, 2025 at 10:55 PM
Fortunate to hear writer Volodymyr Rafeyenko speak on “Language, Identity, and the Experience of Occupation” at Yale, moderated by @uilleamblacker.bsky.social .
Rafeyenko’s new work: books.huri.harvard.edu/books/signal...
Blacker’s latest piece: www.londonukrainianreview.org/posts/defens...
Rafeyenko’s new work: books.huri.harvard.edu/books/signal...
Blacker’s latest piece: www.londonukrainianreview.org/posts/defens...
Reposted by Uilleam Blacker
When war shatters daily life, poetry rises as testimony. Ukrainian poets speak in words that refuse silence, tracing the lines between loss and resilience, grief and human dignity.
Presented in partnership with @razomforukraine.org and the Ukrainian Cultural Festival.
RSVP to the event today!
Presented in partnership with @razomforukraine.org and the Ukrainian Cultural Festival.
RSVP to the event today!
Poet as Witness - Poets House
10/30: When war shatters daily life, poetry rises as testimony. Readings from Anna Malihon, Iryna Vikyrchak, Lesyk Panasiuk and their translators.
poetshouse.org
October 16, 2025 at 6:08 PM
When war shatters daily life, poetry rises as testimony. Ukrainian poets speak in words that refuse silence, tracing the lines between loss and resilience, grief and human dignity.
Presented in partnership with @razomforukraine.org and the Ukrainian Cultural Festival.
RSVP to the event today!
Presented in partnership with @razomforukraine.org and the Ukrainian Cultural Festival.
RSVP to the event today!
Reposted by Uilleam Blacker
Join us on 10/30, 7 PM ET for a hybrid reading from Anna Malihon, Irina Vikyrchak, Lesyk Panasiuk, and their translators Olena Jennings, Nina Murray, and @ilyakaminsky.bsky.social.
Moderated by @uilleamblacker.bsky.social.
Moderated by @uilleamblacker.bsky.social.
October 16, 2025 at 6:03 PM
Join us on 10/30, 7 PM ET for a hybrid reading from Anna Malihon, Irina Vikyrchak, Lesyk Panasiuk, and their translators Olena Jennings, Nina Murray, and @ilyakaminsky.bsky.social.
Moderated by @uilleamblacker.bsky.social.
Moderated by @uilleamblacker.bsky.social.
Thrilled to be delivering (alongside @bohdananeborak.bsky.social) one of two keynotes at this conference on Ukrainian culture/society at University of Bergen. Details👇; youtube link for keynotes in the next message. Thanks @ingunnlu.bsky.social for organising!
uni.oslomet.no/ukrainett/uk...
uni.oslomet.no/ukrainett/uk...
UKRAINETT+ Conference - The War and Beyond: Perspectives on Ukrainian culture and society (14 - 15 October) - UKRAINETT
The University of Bergen hosts the second Ukrainett+ conference 14 – 15 October 2025. UKRAINETT+ aims to enhance Ukrainian-Norwegian research collaboration and advance Ukrainian studies in Norway, Uk...
uni.oslomet.no
October 13, 2025 at 6:53 PM
Thrilled to be delivering (alongside @bohdananeborak.bsky.social) one of two keynotes at this conference on Ukrainian culture/society at University of Bergen. Details👇; youtube link for keynotes in the next message. Thanks @ingunnlu.bsky.social for organising!
uni.oslomet.no/ukrainett/uk...
uni.oslomet.no/ukrainett/uk...
Reposted by Uilleam Blacker
‘Defensive Wall: Why Ukraine’s Culture Is Everyone’s Fight’ by Uilleam Blacker
@uilleamblacker.bsky.social
londonukrainianreview.org/posts/defens... 6/10
@uilleamblacker.bsky.social
londonukrainianreview.org/posts/defens... 6/10
October 12, 2025 at 12:02 PM
‘Defensive Wall: Why Ukraine’s Culture Is Everyone’s Fight’ by Uilleam Blacker
@uilleamblacker.bsky.social
londonukrainianreview.org/posts/defens... 6/10
@uilleamblacker.bsky.social
londonukrainianreview.org/posts/defens... 6/10
Reposted by Uilleam Blacker
This interview with @peterpomerantsev.bsky.social is quite brilliant. »Olesya Khromeychuk spoke to Peter Pomerantsev about the subtleties of waging information warfare, the challenges of cultivating a world of truth and justice today, and creating the kind of space where democracy can be practised.«
October 8, 2025 at 7:56 PM
This interview with @peterpomerantsev.bsky.social is quite brilliant. »Olesya Khromeychuk spoke to Peter Pomerantsev about the subtleties of waging information warfare, the challenges of cultivating a world of truth and justice today, and creating the kind of space where democracy can be practised.«
Don't miss the new London Ukrainian Review on Culture as Security! Articles on disinformation, western pro-russia bias, music & poetry at war, Crimea-Palestine, writers at the front, & my piece on why supporting Ukrainian culture can help beat russia. www.londonukrainianreview.org/posts/cultur...
Culture as Security
This issue of the London Ukrainian Review takes a look at culture as a matter of national security. Highlighting the voices of cultural figures who defend Ukraine with arms, it also examines culture a...
www.londonukrainianreview.org
October 8, 2025 at 7:12 PM
Don't miss the new London Ukrainian Review on Culture as Security! Articles on disinformation, western pro-russia bias, music & poetry at war, Crimea-Palestine, writers at the front, & my piece on why supporting Ukrainian culture can help beat russia. www.londonukrainianreview.org/posts/cultur...
Thrilled that my colleague Marta Jenkala has won the Hvylia/Dalga award for promoting Ukrainian language abroad from
the state Ukrainian Institute. Marta taught Ukrainian at @uclssees.bsky.social and @camukrainistyka.bsky.social, and led @ukrinstitute.bsky.social.
ui.org.ua/en/news-en/h...
the state Ukrainian Institute. Marta taught Ukrainian at @uclssees.bsky.social and @camukrainistyka.bsky.social, and led @ukrinstitute.bsky.social.
ui.org.ua/en/news-en/h...
Winners of the Hvylya / Dalğa Prize for the promotion of the Ukrainian and Crimean Tatar languages honored in Ukraine
Winners of the Hvylya / Dalğa Prize for the promotion of the Ukrainian and Crimean Tatar languages honored in Ukraine For the first time, the Ukrainian Institute recognized activists who have made sig...
ui.org.ua
October 7, 2025 at 9:42 PM
Thrilled that my colleague Marta Jenkala has won the Hvylia/Dalga award for promoting Ukrainian language abroad from
the state Ukrainian Institute. Marta taught Ukrainian at @uclssees.bsky.social and @camukrainistyka.bsky.social, and led @ukrinstitute.bsky.social.
ui.org.ua/en/news-en/h...
the state Ukrainian Institute. Marta taught Ukrainian at @uclssees.bsky.social and @camukrainistyka.bsky.social, and led @ukrinstitute.bsky.social.
ui.org.ua/en/news-en/h...
Reposted by Uilleam Blacker
🎙️ Tune in to the latest episode of The Ukraine Shelf podcast where @oliahercules.bsky.social and Felicity Spector speak with @uilleamblacker.bsky.social and @okhromeychuk.bsky.social on all things food!
☁️ soundcloud.com/european-ins...
🎧 www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6HZ...
#Europe #TheUkraineShelf
☁️ soundcloud.com/european-ins...
🎧 www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6HZ...
#Europe #TheUkraineShelf
October 2, 2025 at 11:46 AM
🎙️ Tune in to the latest episode of The Ukraine Shelf podcast where @oliahercules.bsky.social and Felicity Spector speak with @uilleamblacker.bsky.social and @okhromeychuk.bsky.social on all things food!
☁️ soundcloud.com/european-ins...
🎧 www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6HZ...
#Europe #TheUkraineShelf
☁️ soundcloud.com/european-ins...
🎧 www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6HZ...
#Europe #TheUkraineShelf
Listen!
🎙️ Tune in to the latest episode of The Ukraine Shelf podcast where @oliahercules.bsky.social and Felicity Spector speak with @uilleamblacker.bsky.social and @okhromeychuk.bsky.social on all things food!
☁️ soundcloud.com/european-ins...
🎧 www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6HZ...
#Europe #TheUkraineShelf
☁️ soundcloud.com/european-ins...
🎧 www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6HZ...
#Europe #TheUkraineShelf
October 2, 2025 at 4:37 PM
Listen!
It was a joy to talk translation with Ali Kinsella, Mark Andryczyk & Oleh Kotsyuba at the launch of Taras Prokhasko's Earth Gods @huribooks.bsky.social last week! We talked botany, brain scans, geopolitics & mountain dialects👇. Happy International Translator Day! www.youtube.com/watch?v=RN7Y...
Kinsella, Andryczyk, Blacker — Earth Gods: Writings from before the War by Taras Prokhasko
YouTube video by Harvard Ukrainian Research Institute (HURI)
www.youtube.com
September 30, 2025 at 4:01 PM
It was a joy to talk translation with Ali Kinsella, Mark Andryczyk & Oleh Kotsyuba at the launch of Taras Prokhasko's Earth Gods @huribooks.bsky.social last week! We talked botany, brain scans, geopolitics & mountain dialects👇. Happy International Translator Day! www.youtube.com/watch?v=RN7Y...
I spoke to the @telegraphnews.bsky.social Ukraine: The Latest podcast about Babyn Yar and Holocaust memory in Ukraine. Thank you @adeliepjz.bsky.social and the much-missed David Knowles for the invitation and for your excellent reporting from Kyiv in this episode. podcasts.apple.com/gr/podcast/g...
Gas shortages ‘finally’ hit Moscow as Kyiv intensifies strikes on refineries & David Knowles on the largest Nazi massacre in Ukraine
Podcast Episode · Ukraine: The Latest · 26/09/2025 · 55m
podcasts.apple.com
September 29, 2025 at 1:25 PM
I spoke to the @telegraphnews.bsky.social Ukraine: The Latest podcast about Babyn Yar and Holocaust memory in Ukraine. Thank you @adeliepjz.bsky.social and the much-missed David Knowles for the invitation and for your excellent reporting from Kyiv in this episode. podcasts.apple.com/gr/podcast/g...
Reposted by Uilleam Blacker
I echo what my fellow russianist and colleague @sarahjyoung.bsky.social says, and fully support what @uilleamblacker.bsky.social calls for in his essay.
Brilliant, thought-provoking essay by my colleague @uilleamblacker.bsky.social - as a russianist who fully accepts that I have contributed this problem, I’d welcome the sort of institutional change Uilleam argues for here, and am trying to work towards that. www.eurozine.com/russia-is-no...
Russia is not the sea
Imperial Russia saw the nation as the sea into which all the other Slavic cultures flowed. The idea persists today not only in Russia's attitude towards its neighbourhood, but also in the way eastern ...
www.eurozine.com
September 11, 2025 at 5:00 PM
I echo what my fellow russianist and colleague @sarahjyoung.bsky.social says, and fully support what @uilleamblacker.bsky.social calls for in his essay.
Reposted by Uilleam Blacker
Brilliant, thought-provoking essay by my colleague @uilleamblacker.bsky.social - as a russianist who fully accepts that I have contributed this problem, I’d welcome the sort of institutional change Uilleam argues for here, and am trying to work towards that. www.eurozine.com/russia-is-no...
Russia is not the sea
Imperial Russia saw the nation as the sea into which all the other Slavic cultures flowed. The idea persists today not only in Russia's attitude towards its neighbourhood, but also in the way eastern ...
www.eurozine.com
September 11, 2025 at 10:48 AM
Brilliant, thought-provoking essay by my colleague @uilleamblacker.bsky.social - as a russianist who fully accepts that I have contributed this problem, I’d welcome the sort of institutional change Uilleam argues for here, and am trying to work towards that. www.eurozine.com/russia-is-no...
Reposted by Uilleam Blacker
@uilleamblacker.bsky.social:
"Institutions that are built around the idea of ‘Russia and Eastern Europe’, or even Slavic Studies, are something akin to the fossil fuel industries. If we want to find a sustainable and ethical way forward, they are no longer tenable" www.eurozine.com/russia-is-no...
"Institutions that are built around the idea of ‘Russia and Eastern Europe’, or even Slavic Studies, are something akin to the fossil fuel industries. If we want to find a sustainable and ethical way forward, they are no longer tenable" www.eurozine.com/russia-is-no...
Russia is not the sea
Imperial Russia saw the nation as the sea into which all the other Slavic cultures flowed. The idea persists today not only in Russia's attitude towards its neighbourhood, but also in way the region i...
www.eurozine.com
September 8, 2025 at 2:26 PM
@uilleamblacker.bsky.social:
"Institutions that are built around the idea of ‘Russia and Eastern Europe’, or even Slavic Studies, are something akin to the fossil fuel industries. If we want to find a sustainable and ethical way forward, they are no longer tenable" www.eurozine.com/russia-is-no...
"Institutions that are built around the idea of ‘Russia and Eastern Europe’, or even Slavic Studies, are something akin to the fossil fuel industries. If we want to find a sustainable and ethical way forward, they are no longer tenable" www.eurozine.com/russia-is-no...
I wrote for Eurozine on the lingering imperial geographies that define our understandings of Ukraine and eastern Europe.
Imperial Russia saw the nation as the sea into which all the other Slavic cultures flowed. The idea persists today in way the region is studied in the West. Ukraine scholar @uilleamblacker.bsky.social pleas for institutional reform: www.eurozine.com/russia-is-no...
Russia is not the sea
Imperial Russia saw the nation as the sea into which all the other Slavic cultures flowed. The idea persists today not only in Russia's attitude towards its neighbourhood, but also in way the region i...
www.eurozine.com
September 8, 2025 at 12:51 PM
I wrote for Eurozine on the lingering imperial geographies that define our understandings of Ukraine and eastern Europe.
Reposted by Uilleam Blacker
A podcast not to be missed by anyone who wants to understand #Ukraine. I've just devoured all 5 episodes. Thank you @okhromeychuk.bsky.social & @uilleamblacker.bsky.social for this crucial contribution. I particularly liked the fascinating episode on Crimea! www.olesyakhromeychuk.com/projects/the...
Olesya Khromeychuk - The Ukraine Shelf
Ukraine is at the centre of world events today, and understanding the country’s politics, history and culture has never been more important. The Ukraine Shelf is a podcast where Uilleam Blacker and I...
www.olesyakhromeychuk.com
August 30, 2025 at 6:37 PM
A podcast not to be missed by anyone who wants to understand #Ukraine. I've just devoured all 5 episodes. Thank you @okhromeychuk.bsky.social & @uilleamblacker.bsky.social for this crucial contribution. I particularly liked the fascinating episode on Crimea! www.olesyakhromeychuk.com/projects/the...
Reposted by Uilleam Blacker
Looking for something uplifting today? The latest Ukraine Shelf episode explores food: how it nourishes, connects, and helps overcome trauma. @uilleamblacker.bsky.social and I chat with chef and activist @oliahercules.bsky.social, and journalist and volunteer Felicity Spector. 🎧 Link below.
August 17, 2025 at 2:20 PM
Looking for something uplifting today? The latest Ukraine Shelf episode explores food: how it nourishes, connects, and helps overcome trauma. @uilleamblacker.bsky.social and I chat with chef and activist @oliahercules.bsky.social, and journalist and volunteer Felicity Spector. 🎧 Link below.
Watch the recording of our discussion on Odesa, identity, resistance & empire with @julianevans.bsky.social, Olha Sydorushkina, Oksana Dovgopolova, Ivan Kozlenko. Organised by @uclssees.bsky.social & @ukrinstitute.bsky.social, supported by @britishacademy.bsky.social www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nb17...
Odesa: identity, resistance, and imperial legacy
YouTube video by Ukrainian Institute London
www.youtube.com
August 22, 2025 at 7:03 PM
Watch the recording of our discussion on Odesa, identity, resistance & empire with @julianevans.bsky.social, Olha Sydorushkina, Oksana Dovgopolova, Ivan Kozlenko. Organised by @uclssees.bsky.social & @ukrinstitute.bsky.social, supported by @britishacademy.bsky.social www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nb17...
New Ukraine Shelf episode out now! @okhromeychuk.bsky.social and I spoke to @oliahercules.bsky.social and @felicityspector.bsky.social about Ukrainian food culture, how food sustains in wartime, the implications of the war for global food supplies and more. youtu.be/lwODG8kdTrM?...
The Ukraine Shelf Episode 5: Food with Olia Hercules and Felicity Spector
YouTube video by Ukrainian Institute London
youtu.be
August 13, 2025 at 8:45 AM
New Ukraine Shelf episode out now! @okhromeychuk.bsky.social and I spoke to @oliahercules.bsky.social and @felicityspector.bsky.social about Ukrainian food culture, how food sustains in wartime, the implications of the war for global food supplies and more. youtu.be/lwODG8kdTrM?...
Reposted by Uilleam Blacker
Very excited to be recording a special edition of The Ukraine Shelf at @edbookfest.bsky.social with my co-host @okhromeychuk.bsky.social and the brilliant Oksana Maksymchuk and Phillipe Sands! Ticketes here: www.edbookfest.co.uk/the-festival...
Uilleam Blacker & Olesya Khromeychuk: The Ukraine Shelf
From Sun 10 Aug - As the war in Ukraine continues, The Ukraine Shelf podcast brings together leading authors, scholars, and journalists for lively and informed discussions about what we should be read...
www.edbookfest.co.uk
August 4, 2025 at 9:36 AM
Very excited to be recording a special edition of The Ukraine Shelf at @edbookfest.bsky.social with my co-host @okhromeychuk.bsky.social and the brilliant Oksana Maksymchuk and Phillipe Sands! Ticketes here: www.edbookfest.co.uk/the-festival...
Very excited to be recording a special edition of The Ukraine Shelf at @edbookfest.bsky.social with my co-host @okhromeychuk.bsky.social and the brilliant Oksana Maksymchuk and Phillipe Sands! Ticketes here: www.edbookfest.co.uk/the-festival...
Uilleam Blacker & Olesya Khromeychuk: The Ukraine Shelf
From Sun 10 Aug - As the war in Ukraine continues, The Ukraine Shelf podcast brings together leading authors, scholars, and journalists for lively and informed discussions about what we should be read...
www.edbookfest.co.uk
August 4, 2025 at 9:36 AM
Very excited to be recording a special edition of The Ukraine Shelf at @edbookfest.bsky.social with my co-host @okhromeychuk.bsky.social and the brilliant Oksana Maksymchuk and Phillipe Sands! Ticketes here: www.edbookfest.co.uk/the-festival...
Reposted by Uilleam Blacker
Presented on a fantastic panel “Contact zones & Cross-Cultural Dialogue in Ukrainian Literature” chaired by @uilleamblacker.bsky.social & had the pleasure to run a panel series “Between Past & Future: The Ukrainian War as a Battle for Identity” @iceeess.bsky.social, hosted by @uclssees.bsky.social
July 30, 2025 at 8:29 AM
Presented on a fantastic panel “Contact zones & Cross-Cultural Dialogue in Ukrainian Literature” chaired by @uilleamblacker.bsky.social & had the pleasure to run a panel series “Between Past & Future: The Ukrainian War as a Battle for Identity” @iceeess.bsky.social, hosted by @uclssees.bsky.social
My interview for The Ukrainians is now available in English. We talked postcolonialism, western cultural biases, translation, Ukrainian-Scottish parallels, and more. theukrainians.org/en/uilleam-b...
Uilleam Blacker: ‘My understanding of postcolonialism came through Ukrainian literature’
The translator and researcher on the most impactful stories in Ukrainian literature, the role of cultural diplomacy and the craft of translation
theukrainians.org
July 22, 2025 at 8:21 AM
My interview for The Ukrainians is now available in English. We talked postcolonialism, western cultural biases, translation, Ukrainian-Scottish parallels, and more. theukrainians.org/en/uilleam-b...
Very much looking forward to being in conversation with Dame Melinda Simmons today at #iccees2025, hosted at @uclssees.bsky.social. We'll be talking Ukraine, Poland, the Russian threat, and more www.iccees2025.org/keynote-spea...
Keynote speakers – XI ICCEES World Congress
www.iccees2025.org
July 21, 2025 at 9:00 AM
Very much looking forward to being in conversation with Dame Melinda Simmons today at #iccees2025, hosted at @uclssees.bsky.social. We'll be talking Ukraine, Poland, the Russian threat, and more www.iccees2025.org/keynote-spea...