June Begins with a Fairytale

To mark the International Children's Day, celebrated on June 1st, we join forces with Romanians of DC, Authentic Society for Language and Romanian Culture, Bucharest Inside the Beltway and The American Romanian Cultural Society for an evening of original stories written by a vibrant group of children books' authors and illustrators with Romanian and Moldovan origins: Valentina Pop from New York City, Angela Chirilă from Denver, and Doina Cociuba-Terrano from Seattle.

When & Where

June 1 at 8 pm EST / 5 pm PST. 

You may register for the zoom event here: 

https://us02web.zoom.us/.../reg.../WN_PGtexJpISMOuE-h7k9PSGA or you can follow the live broadcast on the Facebook pages of the hosting organizations. The event will be in English with the exception of Valentina Pop’s story which will be available on Zoom in both Romanian and English (on separate audio channels).

Angela Chirilă is a Denver-based Moldovan artist and author who studied English and Italian at the State University of Moldova. After finishing her studies, she lived in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, and then moved to the United States where she has lived for the past nine years. Passionate about creating stories and drawing illustrations from an early age, and eager to send out a positive message, she is drawing her inspiration by interacting with young children every day as a school teacher. “What Makes Us Happy” was published in March 2020 and its generous voice remains relevant for kids and adults alike. The book is a reflection of Angela’s philosophy that we need to be more present in the now and appreciate every moment in life no matter our age.

Doina Cociuba-Terrano, a native of Arad, Romania, has been painting ever since she was in kindergarten. After graduating from an arts vocational high school she studied Arts and Literature at the North University of Baia Mare, Romania. While at university and after graduating in 1978 she went on to exhibit her work in a number of group shows. She had her first solo exhibition in 1990 followed by two more in 1994 and 1998. She moved to the U.S. in 1999, opened her own business, Ocean Gallery and art school and has worked ever since as educator, freelance artist and published book illustrator. Doina began illustrating children’s books back in 2010 and two of her books have been selected for various awards for the quality of their illustrations and the originality of their stories. She wrapped up illustrating her most recent book just a few days ago when she submitted the graphics to the publisher.

Valentina Popa is working in the Executive Office of the Secretary-General of the United Nations. She has studied Romanian and French language and literature at the State University of Moldova and has received her Master Degrees in International Relations from the Academy of Public Administration of Moldova and in International Political Economy and Development from Fordham University in New York. Her post-graduate studies in Emerging Markets and Country Risk Analysis were completed at Folke Bernadotte Academy in Sweden. A Laureate of numerous national popular music contests, she subsequently appeared on various stages in Moldova and abroad, in exclusively benefit concerts, besides her husband, tenor Luciano Lamonarca. She currently resides in New York City, with her husband and son, Sebastian, her inspiration for her book. “Look Who’s Talking! / Uite cine vorbește!” by Valentina Popa is a bilingual English / Romanian poem book featuring Baby Seby’s imaginary monologues. Written in rhyme, the poems are sweet and heartwarming, exuding love and humor. During the first months as a new mom, Valentina was imagining the potential monologues that may occur in her baby boy’s little head as he was becoming aware of the surrounding world and his own existence. Inspired and overwhelmed by that all-encompassing love, those reflections came to her in rhymes, so she collected them into this illustrated book for moms and their babies.