Diane Francis

  • Award-winning journalist and broadcaster 

  • Editor-at-Large, National Post; Columnist, Financial Post; popular Substack Newsletter author

  • Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council

  • Bestselling author of ten books 

“The Peterson Literary Fund has contributed greatly to protecting and translating Ukraine’s enormous and rich cultural contributions. This has never been more important in light of the fact that Ukrainians must once again fight for survival against Russia. The courage and commitment of the people of Ukraine, both now and in the past, must remain an inspiration to the world.”

Hanna Hopko

  • Head of the Foreign Affairs Committee of Ukraine’s Parliament (2014-2019)

  • Voted Leading Global Thinker in 2014 by Foreign Policy magazine

  • Co-founder, International Centre for Ukrainian Victory

  • Advisor to the Warsaw Security Forum

“At a time when our information space is polluted by the noise of disinformation carried on a wave of trending populism, the Peterson Literary Fund will no doubt fortify the intellectual ammunition needed to deliver truth and meaning to a wide audience of readers. The Fund will enable talented authors and translators to share quality content and valuable insight into the millennial history of the Ukrainian people, underscoring the global relevance of their struggles, triumphs, and perseverance.”

Basil Kalymon

  • Canadian economist, academic, writer, commentator

  • Professor Emeritus, Ivey Business School, Western University

  • Head, Economic Advisory Council to Ukraine’s Ministry of Economics (2014-2015)

“The Peterson Literary Fund is a most welcome new resource in support of important Ukrainian and international publications made possible through the bequest of a truly remarkable man of vision.”

Vakhtang Kipiani

  • Ukrainian historian, journalist, author

  • Editor-in-chief of the online edition of “Historical Truth”

  • Winner of the Ukrainian PEN Club’s inaugural “Georgiy Gongadze Award”

  • Author of The Case of Vasyl Stus — first place winner of the Ukrainian Book Institute’s “List of 30 iconic books of Ukrainian Independence”

“Supporting Ukrainian book writing and publishing is one of the most noble causes that an intellectual can pursue, wherever he or she may live. Because a nation survives, when its literature thrives.”

Zénon Kowal

  • Belgian diplomat (French-speaking region of Wallonia-Brussels)

  • Head of mission in Prague, Hanoi, Tunis, Warsaw and at UNESCO/OECD in Paris

  • Lecturer, commentator, columnist – l’Année Francophone Internationale (2010-2016)

“Pendant trop longtemps, la littérature ukrainienne est restée confinée à un ghetto ukrainien, tant en Ukraine que dans la diaspora. Seuls quelques rares ouvrages faisaient l’objet de traductions, principalement en langue anglaise. La tragédie vécue aujourd’hui au quotidien par l’Ukraine, suite à la guerre d’attrition menée par la Russie, a replacé l’Ukraine et l’intérêt qu’on lui porte sur la scène internationale. Il est donc primordial que les voix de l’Ukraine et celles d’experts éminents puissent y être entendues dans différentes langues, et c’est là un des rôles essentiels que s’est assigné le Fonds littéraire Peterson.”

Alexander Motyl

  • American historian, political scientist, poet, writer, translator, artist-painter

  • Professor of political science at Rutgers University

  • Author of many books, including Imperial Ends: The Decline, Collapse, and Revival of Empires, (Columbia University Press), and the novel trilogy: The Jew Who Was Ukrainian (2011); Vovochka: The True Confessions of Vladimir Putin’s Best Friend and Confidant (2015); and Pitun’s Last Stand: An Entertainment about the Fall of Russia (2021)

“The world needs to be exposed to Ukraine as much as Ukraine needs to be exposed to the world. The Peterson Literary Fund will do just that.”

Vitaly Portnikov

  • Ukrainian journalist, author, political commentator

  • Winner of the 1989 Golden Pen Award of the Ukrainian Association of Journalists

  • Host of the tv program “Politclub” on Espresso TV 

  • Editor and host of the program “Roads To Freedom”, produced by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty

“Germany’s renowned literary critic, Marcel Reich-Ranicki, once said that he considered German literature to be his homeland. Thanks to the noble mission of your Fund, I am convinced that more and more people from different corners of the globe, representing diverse nationalities, will find a haven in Ukrainian literature. But for that to happen, Ukrainian literature must be supported, nurtured, and its value never taken for granted.”

Roman Waschuk

  • Canadian diplomat, global affairs expert

  • Business Ombudsman of Ukraine (since January 1, 2022)

  • Ambassador of Canada to Ukraine (2014-2019) 

  • Former Canadian Ambassador to Serbia, Montenegro, North Macedonia (2011-2014)

“While we may now reach for machine translation for basic understanding of humdrum texts, it still takes a skilled human brain to make literature of any genre resonate across languages and cultures. The Peterson Fund, bequeathed by a man who lived a full range of identities, will help weave the Ukrainian experience into the global fabric.”