Becoming an Artist Against Odds

As Donald Trump holds the world hostage with his sloppy Iran War, and JD Vance campaigns for Orban, the Kremlin's weapon in Hungary, Gaslit Nation returns to a shared family history of resistance. Andrea is joined this week by the brilliant artist Maya Hayuk to break down the story behind Andrea's new graphic novel, Mrs. Orwell. Born from a decade of research into the Holodomor, Stalin's genocide famine in Ukraine, Mrs. Orwell is a monument to an unsung heroine of literature and the truth the Kremlin tried to bury.

We also cover the horrifying reality of the current front lines of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, where the UNESCO heritage site of L'viv's ancient city center was bombed by Russia while the U.S. sleepwalks through yet another "war of choice." While we share the intense rage of seeing Ukrainians having to bailout Trump and Vance in Iran, we remain focused on the agency of the people. The oligarch mafia model, which relies on apathy, despair, and nihilism, is being challenged by a culture of defiance.

We end with a miraculous artifact: a 1947 Ukrainian translation of Animal Farm discovered in both Andrea and Maya's families. This book, distributed in post-WWII refugee camps, is a sign that the spirit of rebellion cannot be extinguished. We refuse to be "useful idiots" for the transnational crime network; we have each other, and we are going to build a better world from the ashes.

For our bonus episode out later this week, we take a closer look at JD and Usha Vance's trip to Hungary to serve the Kremlin, and the latest hellscape headlines. To listen, subscribe to our Patreon at the Truth-Teller level ($5/month) or higher. For more on the Ukrainian refugee camp Animal Farm, read Andrea's book Orwell and The Refugees: The Untold Story of Animal Farm, which Patreon supporters at the Truth-teller ($10/month) and up level get for free.

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Show Notes:

Maya Hayuk's artwork: https://www.instagram.com/mayahayuk/

Join our April 13 book launch and live-taping to celebrate Mrs. Orwell. Patreon supporters get in free! https://powerhousearena.com/events/book-launch-mrs-orwell-by-andrea-chalupa-in-conversation-with-nomiki-konst/

Orwell and The Refugees: The Untold Story of Animal Farm https://www.amazon.com/Orwell-Refugees-Untold-Story-Animal-ebook/dp/B007JNKF5G

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