WARREN, Mich. – Sometimes, the greatest treasures are those that lie before you – unnoticed, tucked away on bookshelves or in rarely opened drawers. All it takes is a sudden realization for inspiration to take hold. Such was the case when members of Ukrainian National Women’s League of America Branch 96 perused their vast library of books at their local headquarters. This spurred the question: How many of these books were penned by Michigan authors?
As it turns out, over 200 books – in genres ranging from prose, poetry, non-fiction, memoir and drama to history, politics, journalism and more – were discovered. And this didn’t include commemorative publications, almanacs, bulletins or booklets of individual organizations. The publications span from the 1800s to the present, providing an interesting look back at the community activities of the earliest Ukrainian immigrants to the area.