Anne K. Howard at Quinnipiac University Conference for Ukraine

Anne K. Howard with Senator Blumenthal

Award-winning author, advocate, and attorney, Anne K. Howard spoke at a Quinnipiac University conference last Saturday. The conference marks the one-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal delivered the opening remarks.

Howard is a graduate of McGill University and the University of Cincinnati, College of Law. She is the author of ESCAPE FROM MARIUPOL: A Survivor's True Story as told to her by Adoriana Marik.

From The Book

My name is Adoriana Marik. I’m a thirty-two-year-old tattoo artist and merchandiser who lived in the once beautiful port city of Mariupol, Ukraine. The life I enjoyed in Mariupol seems like a far-off dream to me now. It was by no means a perfect existence, but I was safe and free. I had friends, family, and my beloved dog, a husky named Yola. In those simple things, I saw a full-fledged and peaceful life that no one could take away from me. Overnight, my world was permanently and tragically altered by the Russian invasion. Today, I am a refugee.

This is my story. I do not speak for all Ukrainian refugees, nor do I pretend to be a scholar on the facts surrounding Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine. I am simply one woman with a story to share with those who are willing to listen.