For the first time ever, one of the most prestigious Ukrainian Municipal Prizes – the Paustovsky’s Municipal Literary Prize – has been awarded to an American citizen of a Ukrainian descent. Bilingual writer and literary critic, Vera Zubarev, Ph.D., also known to American readers as V. Ulea, accepted this honor on Saturday, June 25th at 2pm at a ceremony held at the Consulate General of Ukraine in New York (240 East 49th Street, New York, NY, 10017).

Vera Zubarev received her Ph.D. in Russian Literature and Literary Theory from the University of Pennsylvania where she currently teaches. Her subjects include: decision-making in literature, film, and chess. She has published 16 diverse and impactful books on poetry, prose and literary criticism. Her works have received international awards including Poet Laureate of the Municipal Paustovsky’s Prize, the Top Book Award, The Honorary Diploma in the nomination of Monograph for the book A Systems Approach to Literature: Mythopoetics of Chekhov's Four Major Plays, The First Award in a Literary Contest of Parody at the Pushkin’s Festival in London, Poet of the Year, and others. Her English poems, Letter from Another Planet, have been nominated for the Pushcart Prize.

To read more about V. Ulea (Vera Zubarev) please visit her website: http://www.ulita.net/index.html