In the fourth episode of the A Dictionary of Ukrainian Emotions podcast, iconic American actor Joe Spano reads Call Things by their Names, a text by Ukrainian playwright Tetyana Kytsenko.

Written in the early days of the full-scale invasion, Kytsenko piece delves into questions of national identity and cultural heritage. She contemplates how war reshapes self-awareness, urging a renewed understanding of the names and meanings behind familiar places, including streets bearing the names of foreign cultural figures.

After the reading, podcast host and acclaimed writer and translator John Freedman joins Spano in a thought-provoking discussion on the complexities of national identity: its roots, evolution, and the impact of historical events. Together, they explore how past and present weave together to shape a people’s collective consciousness and the elements that form a sense of national belonging.