Shmehara is a poignant exploration of human emotions and experiences through poetry, illustrations, and reflective notes, focusing on human experiences during times of conflict. Where did the idea for this collection come from, and how did it develop over time?

The genesis of this project traces back to my therapist’s office. Recognizing my enduring love for poetry, my therapist proposed leveraging this passion as a tool for healing from childhood trauma. It worked. It brought me peace and the ability to move on. This event also triggered a deeper self-reflection on my life and my identity.

From this initial spark, the project went on an extraordinary odyssey exceeding the bounds of my imagination. Let me guide you through each step of this remarkable voyage.

Self-reflection unearthed the profound influence of my maternal grandfather on myself. He was a very resilient man. Escaped from transportation to a concentration camp, and survived torture during the Second World War, and the tragic death of his first wife. He was the first to acknowledge me as a poet and encourage me to be myself. Therefore, I thought it was just the right thing to do to dedicate this book to him.

I started to dig more into my family’s past and discovered that I have a connection to the Ukrainian soil on my Mom’s side. It was at the time when the Russian invasion of Ukraine started. Consequently, you can find themes of war and peace rooted in personal and global narratives in my poetry.

While preparing for this book I attended readings by other poets. I noticed that they often tell stories about their poems during these live events. That gave me an idea to incorporate into the book a short, written story preceding each poem. A proem to a poem, you may say.

Researching books of other poets brought to my attention a fact about how visual art can enhance a poetry book. I recalled magnificent illustrations in my childhood books. Therefore, I decided to add visual art to my book as well. I reached out to over 40 different artists from all around the world and ended by selecting seven of them, based on their style, skills, abilities, and unique life stories. I also added to the book their short stories describing the process of making the art for the book showing this way the flow of creativity.

Next, came the idea of Dynamic Illustrations™. I once saw in a liquor store animated labels of some wines, and an increase use of QR codes in the post-COVID restaurants. I remember asking myself: “Why not animate the illustrations in my book using QR codes?” I’m so glad I decided to do that because this approach opened new doors to poetry. I was told that Dynamic Illustrations™ allows the neurodivergent members of our society or people with disabilities to enjoy poetry. This is so exciting.

Another unforeseen, yet gratifying development was a venture to the realm of independent film festivals. The Dynamic Illustrations™ are short animations, therefore we submitted some of them to independent film festivals. As we are conducting this interview (mid-April 2024) AIE has gathered 9 laurels so far at various film festivals across the globe, from Hong Kong through Dubai, Berlin, and Chicago to Chile to name a few. Receiving these accolades is beyond my imagination.

The next development was the inception of Amicus Librowitz (a play of words on a lover of books). In my written realms, distinction between reality and fiction is blurred, and Amicus is my alter ego on the other side. He appears in some of the Dynamic Illustrations™ yet, importantly, he appears also in this world and introduces my books to you. On the front cover of Shmehara, you will find a QR code, which will bring you to a short animation of the Amicus avatar telling you a story about the book. Amicus, and how he appears on the book’s cover is a unique trademark of my books.

Hopefully, you will find Amicus on the front cover of my next books. i’d like to briefly mention three books here: one coming later this year (2024), which is based on Plato’s Dialogues where I discuss fundamental questions regarding humankind with AI; a sci-fi novel in which I address the future evolution of human prejudice, and provide a satirical commentary on current social and political systems; and a novel based loosely on the life of my mother, who should be a feminist icon due to her grit, wit, and resilience in male-dominated medical field in communistic Poland. With the last one, I’m hoping also to bring to a Western reader intriguing, absurd, and funny realities of life behind the Iron Curtain.

The next, (and the last) development is very important. Shmehara started as a way of fighting my inner wars but evolved into addressing also real wars. It was paramount for me to provide long-lasting help to victims of these wars. Therefore, I decided to donate part of the proceeds to a great humanitarian organization, the Polish Center for International Aid (PCPM). PCPM uses these funds to provide scholarly and psychological support to Ukrainian children refugees forced to flee their country by the Russian army.

As you can see, this project went in some unforeseen directions and developed beyond my dreams, making this journey so full of thrill, excitement, and good deeds.

The title Shmehara is unique and memorable. How did you come up with it for this collection, and what is its meaning?

Thank you for this question. The title of this book, Shmehara has a special meaning. I coined that term by reaching out to ancient languages: Sanskrit and the Proto-Indo-European language. I combined sh from ikshana in Sanskrit meaning to look after, with me which is a part of the Proto-Indo-European (PIE) root s(mer) of to remember, and with hara from Sanskrit dharā meaning a flow of a stream. Sh-me-hara. Shmehara thus represents a mental healing place, a very special place in your mind where you are letting go of troubling memories. A special name for a very special place.

Creating a place like this was suggested to me by my therapist. When I started to explain to her my vision of this mental healing place, the explanation turned into a poem. I thought that this concept is very important and you may feel its presence in other poems throughout the book, therefore I decided not only to put Shmehara as the very first poem in the book but also to use it for the book’s title.

By the way, If you need shmehara for your own mental health, please feel free to use this term.

Many talented authors and artists were involved in this multimedia project, including the interactive experiences. What was the collaboration process like to put this book together?

The collaboration behind Shmehara was nothing short of extraordinary. All together seven visual artists contributed to this project, each extremely talented. Let me start with the cover art. The cover is so important. The cover is the very first thing that draws your attention to the book. I feel so fortunate that a gifted artist from Denmark, Caroline Bergstrom-Scheibel, agreed to design the cover for Shmehara. I think Caroline understood immediately and profoundly the fundamental message of the book and made the cover encapsulating it in a beautiful, mesmerizing way.

Illustrations were created by the following artists (in alphabetical order): Sofia Chantra, Katya Mayorova, Arina Nikolenko, Katerina Patak, Sofia Lo Pinto, and Polina Pluslem, who are living in several countries around the world including Ukraine. I’ve selected them based on their artistic skills and personal stories. The selection process was meticulous, with an initial interview allowing me to get to know each illustrator better as an artist and also as a person. Next, I selected a poem (or poems) for each artist, which in my opinion, would resonate with them the best. So matching a poem and an artist was not a random process. I wanted to bring the most of artistic prowess and authenticity out of each artist. I think each of them did a fantastic job.

I would like to emphasize that none of the artists worked before on creating Dynamic illustrations™ – a concept I have developed for this book. In most cases, that would require creating several GIFs for each poem. The GIFs needed to be done in a specific way, allowing me later to edit and stitch them to create a short, animated film. I have nothing but accolades for each of the artists. Their openness to suggestions fostered a collaborative spirit that elevated the project to new heights.

I would like to mention also collaboration efforts during creating soundtracks for the Dynamic illustrations™. Each soundtrack consisting of the main melody as well as special sound effects. In most cases, I went through hundreds of tunes to select the one. Sometimes, it required obtaining copyrights. Securing these permissions provided an unprecedented opportunity to collaborate with some amazing people in the music industry. I had the great pleasure of working with Ed Rakowicz from KMC Records to obtain permission to use a clip of music of Kvitka Cisyk for the Dynamic illustration™ of the poem Melancholia. Similarly, when obtaining permission to use a clip of music by Vivaldi performed by Jakub Jozef Orlinski for the Dynamic illustration™ of the poem AIE I had an amazing interaction with Guillaume Tabeau and Liza Rannou from Radio France, as well as with Jakub’s agent – Solal de Castillo.

I would like to add that the collaborations did not stop. I’m very fortunate to work currently with a very talented jazz musician and composer, Tyler Lustek, and his jazz ensemble on creating unique jazz compositions to some of the poems from Shmehara. We probably will make them available to the public next year, so stay tuned!

I think, that you can’t put a price tag for these direct, collaborative interactions. Meeting these amazing artists, extraordinary human beings and kind souls is breathtaking. Working together with them and seeing a flow of creativity between different artistic genres is astounding and unforgettable.

What is one thing you hope readers take away from this experience that you have created?

I hope this book will provide a reader with a deep, transformative experience. I observed that during reading events. I like reading events because they are a fantastic opportunity to have direct contact with the audience. Seeing firsthand people moved by my words, and coming to me after the event with tears in their eyes is deeply humbling and inspiring. I hope that Shmehara will invite every reader to embark on this emotional journey, and that after putting the book down, the reader will find themself more attuned to their inner self and the world around them.

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