Slovo Association of Ukrainian Writers in Exile

Slovo Association of Ukrainian Writers in Exile (Об’єднання українських письменників в еміграції «Слово»; Obiednannia ukrainskykh pysmennykiv v emigratsii ‘Slovo’). An association initiated in New York on 26 June 1954 to continue and develop the ideology and activities of its European predecessor, MUR, and to embrace within its membership all Ukrainian writers outside of Ukraine, the Soviet Union, and its former satellite countries. There were 13 initiating members: O. Burevii, Dokiia Humenna, Ivan S. Kernytsky, Hryhory Kostiuk, Bohdan Kravtsiv, Yurii Lavrinenko, Vadym Lesych, Leonid Lyman, Yevhen Malaniuk, Ostap Tarnavsky, Yurii Sherekh [George Yurii Shevelov], Mykola Shlemkevych, and Halyna Zhurba. Officially the association came into existence on 19 January 1957, when the bylaws of the association were signed by 22 writers in attendance and accepted by proxy by an additional 34 writers. Slovo held periodic conventions (e.g., 1958, 1964, 1968, 1970, 1975, 1982, and 1990) attended by delegates from the various national affiliates (the United States of America, Canada, England, Argentina, Brazil, Australia, Germany, and France). The presidents of the association have been Kostiuk (1954–75), Tarnavsky (1975–92), and Danylo Husar Struk (after 1992). From 1962 Slovo published an irregular literary almanac, Slovo, which included contributions by its members. The association also fulfilled the function of a publisher by allowing its authors to publish their works under the auspices and name of Slovo. There were two ongoing committees in the association, a biobibliographic one and an archival one, the latter of which was also charged with the preservation and publication of works and papers of deceased authors. In 1964 the association established a financial assistance fund for its members. At the time of the seventh convention in 1990 there were 128 members, of which 63 were in the United States, 46 in Canada, 7 in Germany, 5 in Australia, 3 each in England and France, and 1 in Brazil.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Kostiuk, Hryhorii. Z litopysu literaturnoho zhyttia v diiaspori (Munich 1971)
Tarnavs'kyi, Ostap. ‘Ob’iednannia ukraïns'kykh pys'mennykiv “Slovo”,’ Slovo, no. 12 (1990)

Danylo Husar Struk

[This article originally appeared in the Encyclopedia of Ukraine, vol. 4 (1993).]