CLIFTON, NJ – The Organization for the Defense of Lemkivshchyna (OOL) in the USA is proud to announce that its “Lemkivshchyna” magazine is modernizing and transitioning to an electronic format. The Fall 2020 edition is OOL’s first-ever “Lemkivshchyna” e-magazine, and can now be found on OOL’s website: https://www.lemko-ool.com.
Additionally, in the spirit of maximizing the reach of the “Lemkivshchyna” moving forward, OOL has eliminated the publication’s subscription fee and will distribute current issues free of charge. As new issues of the magazine are published, previous editions will be housed in an online library of all “Lemkivshchyna” magazines dating back to 1979, which is also accessible on OOL’s website to OOL members as part of their membership benefits.
The “Lemkivshchyna” e-magazine will be more vibrant and dynamic for readers – from complete editions in color, to the inclusion of hyperlinks to additional videos and online articles, to being able to access it on cell phones and tablets. It will also strive to provide more information in English for younger generations of Lemko-Americans, as well as in Lemko to preserve this dialect.
A new Editorial Board – made up of Diana Howansky Reilly, Andriy Khomyk, Iryna Stakhyra, Мark Howansky, Marika Shmotolocha, and Petro Kosciolek – will work to maintain the high standards of the past editors of “Lemkivshchyna.” Readers will continue to receive quality information on the topics that have consistently been part of this publication since it was created, including culture and art, national traditions, history, memoirs and the organizational life of OOL.
For the first, Fall 2020 electronic edition of “Lemkivshchyna,” the Editorial Board has chosen the theme of “Home”, exploring how Lemkos feel a tie to their homeland of Lemkivshchyna despite being first-, second- or third-generation Lemkos living in the USA or elsewhere in the world. In this edition, readers will find, for example: prose in Lemko by Anna Vorobel’ about what it means to be home; excerpts from Ivan Krasovsky’s “Encyclopedia of Lemkivshchyna” explaining how Lemkos are the westernmost part of the Ukrainian nation; and information from Justin Kirk Houser about how to access genealogical records and maps to research Lemko ancestors and villages.
OOL is excited to be digitizing, so that the organization can connect more easily with the worldwide community of Lemkos and those who are interested in the Lemko region. To contact the Editorial Board with any questions, please email: editor@lemko-ool.com.