Too often the women of history have been silenced, but their stories have power- to reveal, to teach, and to transform. This is one such story. In Chicago's Ukrainian Village, Nadya Lysenko has built her life on a foundation of secrets. When Nadya was sixteen, she snuck out of her house in Western Ukraine to meet a fortuneteller in the woods. Ignoring the threat of Nazis and Russians, Nadya was driven by love and a desire to learn the unknown. She never expected it to be the last time she would see her family. Years later, Nadya continues to be haunted by the death of her parents and sisters. She clings to her traditions and stories from Ukraine, the only parts of her past that she can share with her family. The myths and magic of Nadya's childhood are still a part of her reality: house spirits misplace keys and glasses, dreams unite friends across time and space, and a fortuneteller's cards predict the future. Her beloved dead also insist on being heard, through dreams and whispers in the night. They want the truth to come out. Nadya needs to face her past and confront the secrets she buried within-THE SILENCE OF TREES.
Valya Dudycz Lupescu is a writer and the founding editor of the literary magazine, CONCLAVE: A Journal of Character. Her novel, THE SILENCE OF TREES, was published by Wolfsword Press in October 2010.
Born and raised in Chicago, Valya received her degree in English at DePaul University. She then earned her MFA in Writing as part of the inaugural class at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Since receiving her MFA, Valya has worked as a college professor, obituary writer, content manager, internal communications specialist, goth cocktail waitress, and co-producer of the independent feature film, The Secret. She occasionally teaches workshops around the city and online, and she helps to facilitate a monthly gathering of writers and artists in Chicago.
Valya's novel, The Silence of Trees, was selected as a Semifinalist in the 2008 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award. She has won several awards for her writing and has appeared in numerous journals.
For the last seven years, Valya, her husband, and their three children have been dividing their time between the United States and Germany. They currently reside in Chicago.
