ABOUT US

The «Jack Grapes’ Method Writing» in Ukraine is an American course on writing skills that has grown into a community of modern Ukrainian young authors. Today, «Method Writing» in Ukraine is presented by regular classes, five academic seasons every year, and more than two hundred permanent students from different parts of the world. This is a community that grows every year with members supporting each other, this is a creative team and international literary projects, this is public readings, and this is faith in the development of modern Ukrainian literature. Every day, no matter what, we are together and we do our best.

All our work and all our projects are aimed at the development and popularization of Ukrainian literature, reading, and art, and creating a positive image of Ukraine both for Ukrainians and in the world. Our students are people of completely different professions. They create collaborations and projects together. If you are looking for a cool specialist in a specific field, check our table, maybe there is a professional you need in our community.

«Jack Grapes' Method Writing» is an author's program for creative people that have been taught in English-speaking countries of the world for more than 50 years. In Ukraine, it has existed since 2019. In 2019 Natalie Skorykova brought «Jack Grapes' Method Writing» to Ukraine and adapted the course program in Ukrainian. In November 2019, Natalie conducted the first academic season of «Jack Grapes' Method Writing» in Ukrainian at the Yaroslav Mudryi National Library of Ukraine. Since 2020, we have been working with veterans for free, and since February 2022, we have been working with servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

At the end of 2020, we founded the Publishing House ORLANDO, and published the calendar of modern visual poetry «БЕЗ МЕЖ | ABSENCE OF FIELD». Twice we organized public readings in the house-museum of T. H. Shevchenko and carried out the first online public readings.

In 2021, together with the Californian literary magazine ONTHEBUS, we launched the international literary and art project «WAR: Inside & Out» and created the public organization «New Ukrainian Voices», took part in the Lviv Forum of Publishers and became participants in the large educational event EdCamp Ukraine.

Also in 2021, Natalie adapted the «Method Writing» program for teenagers and took part in the project together with the «Terre des hommes» team and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) for teenagers from Eastern Ukraine. The result of this work was the children's anthology «Thoughts on Paper». In February 2022, with the support of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the «Terre des hommes» team printed it and delivered it to schools in eastern Ukraine. This anthology is not just interesting; it is necessary and mandatory reading, especially for adults. You can read the anthology online here. Now several young authors of this program are writing their debut novels. Natalie continues to work with teenagers on her own initiative. She teaches them the full «Method» program, helps with the publication of works on Ukrainian literary resources, and has a dream of publishing their debut books.

In April 2022, in order to support Ukraine and the Armed Forces of Ukraine, we started a series of charity master classes/lectures. Each speaker independently determined for which needs to collect and to which organizations to transfer funds. The first lecturer was a literary critic, literary researcher, curator of art projects (WOW Ukraine, «Lesya Ukrainka: 150 Names», «Land: Incredible Ukraine»), TV and radio host, member of the Shevchenko Prize Awarding Committee, author of the book «The Price of an Issue» Evgeny Stasinevich. He gave two lectures: «How It's Made: Western Prose» and «What Do We Need: Ukrainian Prose».

In June, a master class «How it works: book marketing» was held. Lecturer Inna Bilonozhko is a book analyst, a specialist in digital innovations and strategic book marketing. Inna has master's degrees in finance (Kyiv) and international publishing business (London) and an international auditor's diploma. Now she works with British and Ukrainian publishing houses: she audits their work and advises on book promotion. She also teaches book marketing to publishers and runs the cynical_publisher Telegram channel about the world's largest book markets.

The students of «Method» also joined the initiative as lecturers:
Sonia Yurchenko is a philologist. She researches the Odesa text and the Odesa myth of the beginning of the 20th century. She is also a copywriter and the author of the novel «The White Rabbits». Sonia held a master class: «How I do it: analyzing texts according to the system of the Writer's Method».

Maryana Bozhko is the author of the novel with the working title «The Book I [Didn't] Write», psychologist, author, and host of the women's psychological game «20 Roads», and art therapist. Maryana held a master class: «How I do it: texts born from the paintings».

Artem Popyk is a serviceman of the Territorial Defense of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and a novice writer. His works are periodically published in various collections as a novelist and poet. Artem held a master class: «How I do it: texts born from music».

If you are interested in the topic of any master class and want to view it, contact us. For a charitable donation, we will send you a link with a record because the fundraising will continue until Victory. If you have suggestions for master classes that you want to hold, write to us, we are always open to the implementation of interesting and useful ideas.

In May 2022, we started a collaboration with the Creative Writing Institute of San Francisco. Already in June, the first online public reading «Write from the Gut» was held in English. Eighteen of our students read their works in English to an American audience. The recording of the readings is available on the website of the Institute and on our website. Currently, our collaboration with the Creative Writing Institute of San Francisco continues. For 2023, we are planning a second reading, which will take place at the base of the San Francisco National Library.

In 2022, another literary collaboration was born. «Method Writing» began cooperation with the online edition about culture and domestic tourism in Ukraine «Tyktor Media». The texts of our students are published every month in the «Fiction» section. You can read the literary magazine «Tyktor Media» here.

We are open to cooperation and the creation of new projects.
Currently, we are proud and grateful to our partners: Jack Grapes' Method Writing, EdCamp Ukraine, the international children's rights charity organization «Terre des hommes», the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the California literary magazine ONTHEBUS, the Creative Writing Institute of San Francisco, online edition about culture and domestic tourism in Ukraine «Tyktor Media».

If you have proposals for cooperation, contact us.

We are young and ambitious. We work hard, and we study every day. We create new projects and prepare for publishing the books born during the study of our students. We overcome obstacles, support each other, and believe in the Victory of Ukraine.

NATALIIE SKORYKOVA

The only certified teacher of the American writing course in Ukraine, the founder of the project facebook A young and energetic woman who inspires and realizes her own dreams and helps to realize the dreams of others. The main creator and curator of the project «WAR: Inside & Out». Author of the book «Don't stop me now», founder of the Publishing House ORLANDO and chairperson of the board of the NGO «New Ukrainian Voices».
Natalie remembers all the students' texts, knows who is at which level and always finds the right words. Words that inspire and motivate. Words that lead out of a «creative crisis», gently give that magical «push» to writing texts and books. In addition, Natalie is a cool leader, we — her female team — say that about her.

МАР'ЯНА БОЖКО

викладачка письменницького курсу «Письменницький Метод Джека Грейпса» в Україні facebook Мар’яна Божко — викладачка І рівня Jack Grapes Method Writing в Україні. Мар’яна за освітою психолог, має великий досвід ведення терапевтичних груп та психологічних ігор. Мар’яна створила свою авторську психологічну гру та веде групи з терапевтичного письма. Історія Мар’яни з Jack Grapes Method Writing почалася у 2020 році. Мар’яна повністю опанувала програму всіх ІХ рівнів, написала свій дебютний роман «Книжка, яку я [не] писала», що вже вийшла друком у ВД «ОРЛАНДО». І це книжка, яку ми радимо всім українським авторам-початківцям, бо там є все: власний досвід поневірянь різними письменницькими курсами й літгуртками, історія становлення Мар’яни як письменниці, персонажі, списані з реальних викладачів курсів і сучасних письменників, яких ви точно впізнаєте, якщо і вам «пощастило» навчатися у них. А ще там є багато гумору, здорової такої іронії над світом, є багато особистого впізнаваного й корисного для тих, хто сумнівається, чи потрібна ваша історія . Зараз Мар’яна працює над рукописом другої книги «Відкладені поцілунки». Це історія чотирьох із Дніпра, що знайомі з дитинства: ніби друзів, а й ніби й суперників, ніби коханців, а й ніби двох родин, де на перший погляд усе ідеально. Мар’яна має унікальний читацький досвід. Вона читає близько 50 книжок на рік, глибоко аналізує тексти, обожнює нішові не розкручені видавництва й завжди відкриває нові імена. Лише з письменницької майстерності вона прочитала понад 30 книжок.

ALBERT

Norwich terrier Albert, Alberto, Albertino, Red Monster, Red Nastiness - all this is about him, about a small, red Norwich terrier. Albert joined the Method team in January 2022 when he moved to live with Natalie. As soon as Albert found out what she was doing, he started helping. Albert is also working on manuscripts. While Natalie «bites» into artistic editing, Albert literally bites into texts, already corrected with a pen. Albert is a living example of the fact that the works of our students are really tasty. Red Nastiness is always present in all classes. He listens to students' texts and gives feedback. Sometimes he does it so loudly that Natalie asks him to go to the bathroom, where he spreads himself on clean white towels and thinks about what he heard. In addition, Albert is the only man in the «Method» team, handsome and young.

STANSA

Metis Stansa is a Ukrainian puppy (so say dog experts) with a traumatic past. She is only 1.5 years old. When she stands on her hind legs to hug Natalie, she is 165 cm tall. Stansa loves hugs and kisses, and she loves to jump into hugs and to lick by surprise and in the middle of the night. Natalie fell in love with Stansa at first sight, just by looking at the photo. Stansa came to Spain from Kyiv from the «Schas Spasu» animal shelter. She has a powerful voice in every sense: loud, resonant, strong and persistent. She loves to demonstrate it at any opportunity: at 6am, because a car drove down the street, at 3am, when something rustles somewhere, just in the afternoon, when one of the girls returns from the ground floor to the first one. Passers-by pass by the house faster when they hear Stansa. She is a real defender. Sweet, sensitive, distrustful, gentle, but protective in such a way that the sign on Natalie's house «beware of evil dog» took on 100% meaning.

MARIE BARABANOVA

Project organizer and manager facebook Marie always knows where what, and who to look for, exactly what kind, in what quantity, and for what time. Marie controls all deadlines, prepares budgets, and reports, she is the one who works with all technical specialists (any proposals for cooperation? Write to Marie). Marie knows the names and surnames of all students of the «Method». Even if she does not remember the surname, she will definitely recognize a person by voice or photo. In addition, Marie likes to structure everything: photos by years and events, tables with a list of tables, folders in a folder — well, you get the idea. Marie works on a manuscript and paints pictures, although she keeps quiet and tells a few people about it.

SONYA YURCHENKO

Copywriter facebook Sonya is not just a copywriter who writes posts, news, and articles for «Method Writing». Sonya is the voice of our Instagram and Facebook. Sonya always has many different ideas; she quickly reacts to crises and offers the most optimal ways to solve a problem. Sonya has a philological education and is an expert in Odesa literature of the first third of the 20th century. In addition, Sonya is in love with Odesa. She constantly studies the history of this city. She wrote a historical novel «The White Rabbits» about…. Of course, about Odesa. We hope to publish it in 2023. And while we are working on the publication of Sonya's first novel, she writes her second, and again it's historical, it's profound and it's for Odesa.

GERDA

Terrier, chicken A five-year-old girl from Kyiv lives in Odesa. Independent and freedom-loving. Gerda is quite well known in the «Method's» writing circle. She is the main character of Sonya's graduation work–«Gerda and It». From birth, Gerda was considered a half-breed, but over the years, it turned out that Gerda is a terrier, a fat, but very charming terrier. She, like her owner, is in love with Odesa, and especially with the couriers Glovo and Raketa. She adores morning walks on the beach when the waves of the Black Sea carry mussels and fish onto the sand, where they lie for 1-2 weeks in the spring sun and rot. It is precisely at this stage of fermentation, when there is already a sharp «aroma« of rotten seafood, that Gerda remembers that she is a terrier and dives into the arms of the «aroma» to Sonia's delight. And when Gerda isn't diving into «all that rotten stuff», she helps Sonia with news and posts for «Method» and gets goodies for it.

ALINA HALO

Copywriter and project manager facebook Alina can do almost everything, so she works with all «Method» projects. As a copywriter with the «War: Inside & Out» project, she writes posts on social networks. To write one post, Alina reads from 5 to 15 articles on a topic (it's interesting to watch), analyzes facts, compares, clarifies, and searches for information, and communicates with authors. She helps Marie with the organization of the educational process. As a content maker, she works with Natalie's personal brand. In addition, Alina makes good jokes, dances, and, of course, writes fiction.

CONTACTS

Office in Ukraine: 28/2, Mykhaylo Hrushevskyi str., office 30, Kyiv, Ukraine
Contact phones: +34 (744) 65 74 18 (Spanish number
+38 (068) 896 90 99 (Ukrainian number)
E-mail: info@methodwriting.com.ua