Introduction by Julian Riccobon
Artwork by Claire Lin and Ayah Al-Masyabi
Empathy is paramount to creating a shared humanity and mitigating crisis. Please consider exercising empathy by making a donation that will help us to support Ukrainian students and refugees. One third of donations will go to Polyphony Lit, to promote literacy worldwide; one third to Teen Side, to provide publishing opportunities to Ukrainian writers; and one third to Reflect Empathy, to create scholarships for Ukrainian students.
Introduction
Since this Voices blog series launched in April 2023, I've had the pleasure of collaborating with many student artists to produce illustrations for "Wake Up, the War Is Here." For me, as a spectator to the creative process, this was fascinating to watch; the artists would read the memoirs and poems written by Ukrainian refugees and draw inspiration from the written work, seeking to capture the essence of a poem through visual elements: light and shadow, color and value, line and shape and texture... From Ayah Al-Masyabi's triumphant phoenix illustration, published alongside "3 Letters: (Not) My War Story," to Claire Lin's simple crosshatching representation of hirsute trees, published alongside, "Poems by Viktoria Stasko," each artist brought their own unique style and interpretations to the series.
Unfortunately, not all of the pieces that we reviewed during the editorial process made it to the final slate of posts for publication... and along the way, some of the artwork inspired by these pieces also did not end up published. In order to celebrate the incredible efforts of our artists, we would like to share two additional pieces created by Ayah Al-Masyabi and Claire Lin respectively!
As you view the artwork below, please keep in mind the struggles that the Ukrainian people have already faced, and still continue to face in the wake of Russia's full-scale invasion; these pieces of artwork serve as prime examples of how empathy can help people from around the globe to develop understanding and unite in the face of crisis. And of course, remember that this blog series is not just a reflection on the war, but also a call for activism. The prospect of catalyzing change, as an individual, can often feel intimidating, but there are still many actions you can take. You can always donate to a humanitarian organization such as Teenside or Reflect Empathy. And if you are a teacher, parent, college student, or 18 year-old eligible to vote in the U.S., remember that November 5th is an important date for change; if you turn out to vote, then you can help to impact the future of global leadership and diplomacy, and this in turn will impact the future of both the American and Ukrainian people. Thanks for reading; I hope you enjoy the artwork, and I hope you feel inspired to catalyze change!
Best,
Julian Riccobon | Managing Director of Polyphony Lit
Artwork: "Illustration for Poems by Alina Chepurna" by Claire Lin
Artwork: "Happy?" by Ayah al-Masyabi
Image Credits
Claire Lin is a 16-year-old high school sophomore living in Princeton, NJ. In her free time, she enjoys taking sunset pictures, drawing, and reading novels. Her favorite dog breed is border collie.
Ayah Al-Masyabi is a 17-year-old junior living in Colorado. She tackles her creative endeavors through writing, visual art, and, more recently, audio and video. Research, human stories, and the narratives around soccer often influence the pieces she crafts. Ayah has won three Gold Keys, one Silver key, and two honorable mentions for her art and one Gold key for writing in the Scholastic Arts and Writing Contest. Her work has been published on YR Media, YouthComm, Literary Purveyor, and Polyphony Lit. She has won numerous local art contests and was a finalist in the NPR Student Podcast Challenge, having her podcast featured both on NPR and MenInBlazers. Ayah is an avid Liverpool FC, US Soccer, and Colorado Rapids supporter. She can be found curating her bookshelf, having fun with family and friends, or at @ayahalmart on Instagram and https://ayahart26.wixsite.com/ayahal-masyabi. She also has a YouTube channel where she talks about soccer called AyahSoccer.
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