My name is Ella Čolić, and I am an author and an ambassador for the project “My First Book.”

You can see last year's festival at the link below:

https://youtu.be/BsIaKQfMJKI

When I was 16 years old, I had a dream of writing my book about my family's refugee journey from the Balkans to America. I was young and clueless but persevered nonetheless. At the age of 18, I finally had my manuscript published and then had it translated in Bosnian one year later. However, it was difficult to find a publishing agency to believe in me and my work, which is a common issue that so many young authors face. After going through numerous roadblocks and facing rejection after rejection, I partnered with a publishing agency in Bosnia called BMG Tuzla, whose main incentive is to help promote reading and writing among people of all ages.

To provide some context, Bosnia and Herzegovina is a country torn by war, which left deep scars on its society and population. Almost thirty years later, the country is still facing the consequences and aftermath of a war that shook the souls of everyone involved. Any form of art and creativity was lost for many years. The purpose of this festival is to inspire everyone to read and write and to bring their stories to life. Writing offers emotional relief and facilitates communication that is necessary for reconciliation. It is an extraordinary medium through which we express our hidden emotions and thoughts. Telling or even writing your story can bring relief from psychological trauma. Being able to see a story from a different perspective, like the one I wrote about my father and my aunt, can be the mechanism that sets the beautiful yet painstaking process of forgiveness in motion, where we take the feeling of loss and suffering in order to bring people together rather than setting them apart. And this festival is one way to do it.

We hope that we are able to collect enough donations to present opportunities to four other authors to publish their work. Your donations will go towards the cost of publishing these books. Please remember that donations of any size will help immensely.

Please share and help us raise funds for this wonderful cause.

Thank you!