Iya Kiva

Iya Kiva is a Ukrainian poet, translator, member of Pen Ukraine. She was born in 1984 in Donetsk, studied at Donetsk National University (philology, cultural studies), later studied graphic design at another educational institution. In 2014 she forced to move to Kyiv because of the Russo-Ukrainian War.

She is the author of three poetry collections “Подальше от рая» (Futher from Heaven; 2018), “Перша сторінка зими” (The First Page of Winter; 2019), “Сміх згаслої ватри” (Laughter of an extinguished fire; 2023), as well as a book of interview with Belarusian authors “Ми прокинемось іншими: розмови з сучасними білоруськими письменниками про минуле, теперішнє і майбутнє Білорусі” (We’ll Wake Up Different: Conversations with Contemporary Belarusian writers on Past, Present and Future of Belarus; 2021), dedicated to the 2020-2021 protests in Belarus.

Kiva’s poems were translated into more than 30 languages. Her poetry books in translations are: «Свидетел на безименност» (Witness of namelessness; in Bulgarian, translator – Denis Olegov, 2022, Bulgaria), «Чорні ружі часу / Czarne róże czasu» (Black Roses of Time; in Polish and original, translator – Aneta Kaminska, 2022, Poland), «Осиротілі дерева / Osierocone drzewa / The orphaned trees» (in original and Polish and English translations; translator into Polish – Aneta Kaminska, translators into English – Philip Nikolayev and Yevgeniya Kanyshcheva, 2024, Poland; Versopolis project).

She is a winner of the II poetic tournament named after Nestor Chronicler (2019), laureate of the Special Prize “LitAkcent” Award (2019) for the book “The First Page of Winter”, laureate of the Literature Prize “Metaphor” for translators (2020), etc. Also she was in the short list of the Women In Arts Award. The Resistance 2024, founded by Ukrainian Institute and UN Women Ukraine.

She translates Polish and Belarusian poetry; since 2019 she English collaborates with the project “PJ Library” in Ukraine as a translator and editor of children’s books from English. In 2016-2021 she worked with many Ukrainian media as a cultural journalist. As a writer, she participated in numerous writers’ residences and fellowship programs, for example, Gaude Polonia Fellowship program of the Minister of Culture of Poland (2021), International Writing Program (2023, USA).

Based in Lviv.