Words at war – the responsibility of literature

What can literature do in a world shaped by war? Can words bear witness, document crimes, offer a form of justice when legal systems fall short, and help us imagine different futures? Drawing on their own experiences, the speakers will explore literature's responsibilities in times of conflict.

Ukrainian poet and servicewoman Yaryna Chornohuz brings to her poetry the lived experience of serving on the front line as a marine and combat medic. Nigerian poet Inua Ellams reflects on literature as a collective art form capable of bringing together communities of African origin living in the post-colonial continent. Historian and writer Olesya Khromeychuk interweaves history and personal experience to examine the global consequences of Russia’s war against Ukraine.

Join this trio of acclaimed writers and journalist Misha Glenny in an evening of fiction, poetry, and reflections at The Conduit as we welcome old friends and new faces to our stage for this timely conversation. This event is part of Lviv BookForum 2026, run in partnership with Hay Festival Global and the Ukrainian Institute London.

Event schedule

6:30pm: Doors open, Pre event socialising and networking

A cash bar will be available for refreshments.

7:00pm: Event begins

8:00pm: Event ends

Post event book signing, socialising and networking

Speakers:

Yaryna Chornohuz is a Ukrainian writer and poet, and since 2020 has served as a marine in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. She is the author of three poetry collections and the recipient of the Taras Shevchenko National Prize of Ukraine in literature (2024) as well as the Women in Arts. Literature Award (2024). For her military service, she has been awarded the Medal “For a Saved Life” (2022), the Honorary Badge of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, and the Medal “For Military Service to Ukraine.”

Inua Ellams is a writer and curator. He is a cross disciplinary artist, an internationally touring performer, a poet, playwright, screenwriter, graphic artist & designer. His published books of poetry include Candy Coated Unicorns and Converse All Stars, Thirteen Fairy Negro Tales, The Wire-Headed Heathen, #Afterhours, and The Actual. His first play The 14th Tale was awarded a Fringe First at the Edinburgh International Theatre Festival. His plays include Barber Shop Chronicles, Three Sisters and The Half-God of Rainfall. He is currently touring Search Party, An Evening With An Immigrant and working on several commissions across stage and screen.

Olesya Khromeychuk is a historian and writer. She is the author of The Death of a Soldier Told by His Sister (2022) and Undetermined Ukrainians (2013). Khromeychuk has written for The New York Times, The New York Review of Books, The Guardian, Der Spiegel, Prospect and The New Statesman, and has delivered a TED talk on ‘What the World Can Learn From Ukraine's Fight for Democracy’. She has taught the history of East-Central Europe at several British universities and is currently the Director of the Ukrainian Institute London.

Misha Glenny is an award-winning journalist, author, and public intellectual. A former BBC Central Europe Correspondent who covered the revolutions in Eastern Europe and the wars in the former Yugoslavia, he is a sought-after keynote speaker on the geopolitics of cybersecurity and organized crime. His best-selling non-fiction book McMafia (Bodley Head, 2008), about the globalization of organized crime, was adapted into a major TV drama series on BBC1 and AMC. Glenny is also the author of an acclaimed single-volume history of the modern Balkans.