"Do not chew the worms" – author meetings
How do you talk about war without talking about the front line? Do not chew the worms is a book about what war leaves behind in people—long after the headlines fade.
We invite you to a series of author meetings around Do not chew the worms—a reporter–photographer narrative about war seen not from the perspective of the front, but through the lives and experiences that rarely make the front pages.
Each meeting will be a conversation about the book: how it was created, what observations and choices shaped it, and why its authors decided to tell the story of war without sensationalism—focusing instead on everyday life, emotions, and consequences that do not disappear when media coverage ends.
An important element of the meetings will be readings of selected excerpts performed by actors—not as illustrations of the discussion, but as an independent voice within it.
Some stories cannot be taken apart
Do Not Chew the Worms is a work of reportage based on long-term observation of Russia’s war against Ukraine—not from the perspective of military clashes, but of the life that unfolds alongside them and after them.
It is a story about people whose everyday lives have been permanently disrupted in ways that often remain invisible from the outside. About memory, loss, tension, exhaustion, and attempts to preserve agency in extreme situations. The authors avoid simple diagnoses and clear-cut judgments, focusing instead on what is fragmented, fragile, and difficult to name.
From the outset, photography and text were conceived as equal elements of the narrative—not illustration and commentary, but a shared story in which image and word complement one another.
Meet the authors
Tetiana Kolesnychenko — a journalist specializing in Eastern European affairs. Recipient of the Dariusz Fikus Award (2024 and 2025), the Grand Press Award (2024), and the Ryszard Kapuściński Award (2025). Since 2022, she has been reporting on Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Maciej Stanik — a photojournalist specializing in social reportage. Recipient of the Grand Press Photo Award (2021), the Dariusz Fikus Award (2024), and the Grand Press Award (2024). He has documented events in, among other places, Syria, Afghanistan, and Nagorno-Karabakh.
Event Schedule
Warsaw
Date: 23 February 2026 (Monday), 7:00 PM
Venue: Big Book Cafe MDM, 34/50 Koszykowa Street
Moderator: Magdalena Rigamonti (Onet)
Readings: Maja Komorowska and Mateusz Damięcki
Books available for purchase on site.
Kraków
Date: 27 February (Friday), 6:00 PM
Venue: MOS Underground Stage, Juliusz Słowacki Theatre, 12 Rajska Street
Moderator: Zoriana Varenia (Nova Polshcha)
Readings: Dominika Bednarczyk, actress of the Juliusz Słowacki Theatre
Books available for purchase on site.
Gdańsk
Date: 2 March (Monday), 6:00 PM
Venue: Gdańsk House of Literature, 35 Długa Street
Moderator: Hanna Łozowska
Readings: Michał Jaros, Wybrzeże Theatre
Books available for purchase on site.
Wrocław
Date: 3 March (Tuesday), 6:00 PM
Venue: Wrocław House of Literature, Przejście Garncarskie 2
Moderator: Anna Ursulenko (University of Wrocław)
Readings: Vasylina Martseniuk, affiliated with the Jerzy Grotowski Institute
Books available for purchase on site.
