Tatyana is originally from Dnipro, Ukraine, but has long lived in Sacramento, California. She describes herself: “My blood is a mixture of many nationalities. I’m a walking cocktail. I know for sure that we have Jewish ancestors on both my mother’s and father’s sides; my great-grandfather, an Austrian citizen, was Catholic and lived in Vienna. I have a Ukrainian grandmother and even a Gypsy great-grandmother. Perhaps that’s why I’m so drawn to the four elements, and I get a quick boost from them. The smell of a campfire, the wind, the bright stars, the rush of a river—all of this is so close to my heart. I would easily trade any comfort for the purest nature. In the city, everything is bustling. Running in circles. There is no peace. Poetry for me is both harmony and a way of expressing myself. They contain my thoughts, which have settled in the corners of my soul. And in the form of quatrains, they burst forth. Sometimes I'm just sitting in silence, and suddenly, like a rush of wind and rain, inspiration strikes. Thoughts, lines, and images race through my head. It's good to have a piece of paper and a pen or a phone handy. And then everything goes quiet. And five minutes later, you might not remember a single line you've written. That's how poetry is born...