Chytomo Award winners Creative Women Publishing to take part in Frankfurt Book Fair

14.10.2025

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The Ukrainian publishing house Creative Women Publishing will take part in the 2025 Frankfurt Book Fair as the winner of the Chytomo Award. In 2024, the publishing house received the Special Award from Frankfurter Buchmesse, a Chytomo partner since the establishment of this award.

Creative Women Publishing will present its own stand for the first time at the 77th Frankfurt Book Fair — one of the world’s largest forum for publishers. The stand will be located in Hall 3.1, F142.

Creative Women Publishing is the first and only independent feminist publishing house in Ukraine, focused on literature by and for women. Its mission is to “change society for the better through literature and affirm the strength and value of women’s experience.”

The publisher’s catalog includes historical works, such as a reprint of one of the first Ukrainian feminist almanacs “The First Wreath” (1887), as well as contemporary titles exploring feminism, equality, body awareness, mental health, war, motherhood, career, and education.

In 2024, the publishing house received a Special Recognition from the Frankfurt Book Fair and was named among the top trendsetters of the Ukrainian book market according to the Chytomo Award for Outstanding Achievements in Publishing.

On October 16, from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m., the event “The Role of Women as Witnesses to History” will take place at the Ukrainian national stand (Hall 4.1, F79/80). It is organized in partnership with the Ukrainian Book Institute, Creative Women Publishing, Horizons Without Borders, and the International Renaissance Foundation.

The panel will bring together writers and publishers from Ukraine, the Czech Republic, Congo, and the Philippines. Among the participants are Slava Svitova (writer and co-founder of Creative Women Publishing), Yuliya Ilyukha (writer), Barbora Baronová (Czech publisher and co-founder of the feminist publishing house wo-men), and Iryna Nikolaychuk (literary scholar and editor-in-chief of Creative Women Publishing).

The discussion will explore women’s writing as an act of resistance, memory, and solidarity. Using the book “Cry, Sister, Laugh” (a collection of essays and in-depth interviews about women’s vulnerability and resilience during wartime) as a starting point, the speakers will discuss writing as a space of strength and visibility.

Slava Svitova, co-founder and CEO of the publishing house, said Creative Women Publishing’s participation in the Frankfurt Book Fair is the result of long-term international cooperation:

“In 2024, I took part in the Special Program for publishers from Ukraine and neighboring countries, which gave me the opportunity to visit the Frankfurt Book Fair and talk with colleagues from Ukraine, Romania, Armenia, Slovakia, Georgia, the Czech Republic, and other countries. My meeting with Barbora Baronová — co-founder of the Czech feminist publishing house wo-men — was especially warm. Our publishing houses turned out to share similar values, and from that came a sincere friendship and creative collaboration. Barbora acquired the translation rights for the Ukrainian book ‘Cry, Sister, Laugh’ by Violetta Kim, and we are acquiring the rights to her book ‘Unmarried.’ This year, Creative Women Publishing will have its own stand at the Frankfurt Book Fair for the first time, a joint event with the Ukrainian Book Institute, and a series of professional meetings. This is a major step forward and an important stage in our growth.”

During the fair, the publishing team will hold meetings with colleagues from Europe and Latin America. In particular, Slava Svitova will meet with Karin Schmidt-Friderichs, Chairwoman of the German Publishers and Booksellers Association (Börsenverein des Deutschen Buchhandels), as well as with representatives of feminist publishing houses from Chile and Belgium and the Austrian publisher PICUS.

The publishing house plans to sell translation rights for several of its books, including “Cry, Sister, Laugh” by Violetta Kim, “Names” by Slava Svitova, “When the Dead Are Silent” by Anemona Osovska, “In the Glass Forest” by Maryna Ponomaryova, “The Black Queen” by Marichka Plai, and “I Forgot My Underwear” by Maya Tulchynska.

On Saturday and Sunday, visitors to the fair will be able to purchase the publisher’s books and meet its team in person.

Creative Women Publishing team in Frankfurt:

Slava Svitova — Co-founder, CEO
Iryna Nikolaychuk — Co-founder, Editor-in-Chief
Nataliya Starostina — Co-founder, CFO
Oksana Borovets — Co-founder, Creative Director

The publishing house’s participation in the Frankfurt Book Fair was made possible with the support of the Heinrich Böll Foundation (Kyiv Office — Ukraine) for stand design and materials, and the Ukrainian Institute in Germany, which provided a mobility grant for the team.

Copy editing: Joy Tataryn