"Hey, Marlana!"

Hey, hey! I'm the writer and host of The Talking Motanka podcast and blog, and the host and producer of Ukrainian Memories Radio.

I am two generations removed from Ukraine, born in Canada. At first, the most important part of this project for me was learning more about the Ukrainian immigration to Canada in the late 19th century, notably my own family, beginning in 1897.

I wanted to know how our traditions had been retained or how they evolved. I began learning the Ukrainian language in 2019, after years of searching for courses to take. When it came to language-learning, many classroom-courses were located in schools outside of my home province of British Columbia. Other programs seemed to be more academically-focused, and out of my league. When I finally found an online program that worked for me, I was hooked. I wanted to learn the language as best as I could, and dig deeper into my Ukrainian lineage.

At the time, this site was called "Ukraizy Canadian", and was solely a language-project to document my progress, but after some time, it's turned in to so much more than that, hence the new name. I hope other Ukrainian-Canadians can relate to some of the material, and that perhaps others can find interest in our stories.

On a side note, I am broadcast-trained, and worked in the industry as a producer, writer, and professional voice actor. I've also written and published two novels and numerous articles for various newspapers and magazines. I'm a city girl, but now reside in the sleepy Fraser Canyon, living an otherwise boring life--and that's just the way I like it!