I wanted to share something special with you. A friend of mine had been repressing, then actively processing an inherited trauma for most of her life. By educating herself, seeking professional help, writing and creating art, she has been able to make sense of it all. She just published a book about her powerful healing journey. She hopes it will resonate with those going through a trauma-induced grief, deepen our understanding and prevent such future catastrophes. I’ve seen the book. It’s a stunning artistic record of her ongoing transformation. Here’s what she sent me.
A Whisper Across Time is the story of one family’s experiences in the Holocaust. Olga Campbell tells a very personal and moving story through prose, art and poetry, creating a multi-dimensional snapshot of family losses and inter-generational trauma. Campbell’s art and poetry reflect the theme of sorrow and sadness created by this dark period of history. This is a story of remembering and healing. It is also a cautionary tale asking the reader to look at what is happening in the world today. Part memoir, part poetry, and art, A Whisper Across Time will make you stop, feel and reflect.
Seventeen years ago, after listening to a radio program about second generation Holocaust survivors, Olga Campbell experienced feelings she had spent a lifetime repressing. Her experience of grief, sorrow and sadness had their origins in events that happened to her family during the Holocaust. She started to confront these feelings by creating a solo multimedia exhibition in 2005 called Whispers Across Time.
A year ago she felt compelled to write her family’s story. It felt as if her ancestors were whispering to her, encouraging her to do this. A Whisper Across Time is the result of these whispers.
Olga Campbell is a visual artist living in Vancouver, B. C. Her art work includes photography, sculpture, mixed media painting, and digital photo collage. She is also the author of Graffiti Alphabet. See more of Olga’s work at www.olgacampbell.com and olgacampbellart.
Olga has been practicing Transcendental Meditation since 1967. She became at teacher of Transcendental Meditation in Rishikesh, India in 1970 and is a recertified Governor.
In her book she writes: “This personal journey was at times very difficult. However, there were and continue to be experiences in my life which make it easier … This daily practice of meditation for over half a century of time, has been transformational and life-affirming.”
Praise for A Whisper Across Time
Olga Campbell’s poignant tribute to family murdered in the Shoa is a personal triumph. With words and art she has created an emotional response to a psychologically wounded mother and her inadvertent legacy of trauma. Her enormous artistic talents and insights provide not only a measure of healing but also of faithfulness to memory — the lives unlived are not forgotten. This is a precious contribution to the literature of the Holocaust and to resolving the consequences of catastrophic trauma. — Dr. Robert Krell, Founding President, Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre
A Whisper Across Time is a profoundly moving experience. It is a healing ritual, a Shamanic soul retrieval, a celebration of life, and a gift of gratitude to the family Olga Campbell never really knew. She reminds us that it is never too late to heal the sorrows of the past or to protect the future from the dangers of forgetting. — Ann Mortifee, Performing Artist, Writer for theatre, ballet and films
A Whisper Across Time by Olga Campbell is now available in Vancouver, BC, Canada. To order a copy, contact Olga at olgac1@telus.net. The cost is $25 US plus $6 shipping and handling.
Olga’s book launch and art exhibit will take place Thurs, Nov 15, 2018 at the Sidney and Gertrude Zack Gallery. Art exhibit will continue to Dec 9.
News Coverage for Art Show and Book Launch
Coinciding with Remembrance Day, various CBC Radio and TV hosts spoke with Olga Campbell about her book and art exhibit. As part of her Sunday November 11 show, Sheryl MacKay of CBC Radio’s North by Northwest had her on the show. Fast forward to 1:45:12–1:57:03 to listen to artist Olga Campbell tell her family’s tragic story from the Holocaust in a new book of art and memoir and poetry. About 5 minutes into the interview Olga mentions that in addition to processing her grief through art, she’s “been doing Transcendental Meditation for 50 years, so that’s really helped.”
Gloria Macarenko of CBC TV’s Our Vancouver introduced A Whisper Across Time as “a breathtakingly beautiful book.” Watch the interview (5:14): Using art and poetry to work though repressed memories of the Holocaust’s impact.
Olga Livshin wrote an excellent review of Olga Campbell’s art show and book launch in the Visual Arts section of the Jewish Independent. Whisper Across Time was published Friday, Nov 23, 2018.
Awards for the Book in 2019
Whisper Across Time won the da Vinci Eye for the current Eric Hoffer Award season. The da Vinci Eye is given in honor of the Leonardo da Vinci and awarded to superior book covers artwork each year. This is a special distinction beneath the Eric Hoffer Award umbrella. The book is still being considered for category, press, and grand prizes.
Whisper Across Time also won the Ippy Award for independent self-published authors. Olga’s book was selected for one of the 2019 Independent Publisher Book Awards in their Outstanding Books of the Year under the Freedom Fighter category. Olga will be attending the May 28 gala event in New York.
Cynthia Ramsay, editor of the Jewish Independent, reviewed Olga’s book: A Story Told in Art and Poetry. Here is a PDF of the JI article as it appears on page 44 of the April 12, 2019 issue under Books.
Olga’s book was honored as a “Finalist” in the “Autobiography/Memoir” category of the 2019 International Book Awards.
Olga appeared on the June 2019 cover of Point Grey Magazine: The Many Lives of Olga Campbell. Their Know Your Neighbour section on pages 3-5 included photos of Olga at home, her book, and many artworks.
A Whisper Across Time is available on Amazon Canada and Amazon USA.
Awards for the Book in 2020
The 2020 Western Canada Jewish Book Awards took place Dec 6, 2020 via Zoom. Olga Campbell won The Kahn Family Foundation Prize for Holocaust Literature. You can now hear the announcement of her winning this award at 32 minutes into the presentation in the Google Drive video of the Zoom call. Olga’s moving acceptance speech is from 33:33 to 36:20. She later wrote that she “was shocked, overwhelmed and almost in tears of gratitude.” Olga realized how interesting it was that, “By giving my family a voice I was able to find my own voice.” So true, and very significant! It may have also healed some of that inter-generational trauma.
Book Reviews in 2021
The Ormsby Review: 1072 Healing through creativity, March 25, 2021, by Claire Sicherman. This is an excellent personal and comprehensive review of Olga’s book, including many photographs. The Ormsby Review is a journal service for in-depth coverage of B.C. books and authors.
The Uncarved Blog 