ABOUT ME
69, friendly, articulate, funny, warm and well-travelled. Author of six books, traveling through Ukraine this August. My Fabulous Ukrainian Summer Vacation: Art and Love in the Time of Resistance is described below. I would love to stay with literate, interesting Ukrainians in Kyiv, Kharkiv, and Odesa during my trip to learn local culture and invest lodging expense into promotion for the stories of Ukrainian resistance. Two grown daughters. Single. I've lived in the US, mostly in NYC and CA my whole life and now exploring the world as a writer and consultant/ coach. I've had wonderful experiences with this platform in places as diverse as Iraq, Afghanistan, and Vietnam.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

It's an imperfect but wonderful place to pay it forward and experience the generosity of strangers. Here is a description of my Ukraine travel project and my interest in staying with Ukrainians.

Project Description

My Fabulous Summer Ukrainian Vacation:
Art and Love in the Time of Resistance

A sequel to My Fabulous Fascist Summer Vacation
https://tinyurl.com/fascistsummer

On August 4, 2025, on my 70th birthday, I will travel to Ukraine to write a seventh book. I will traverse the length and breadth of the country, from Lviv and Kyiv to Kharkiv then down through Dnipro to Odessa. The book is a sequel to My Fabulous Fascist Summer Vacation, written last year as a cautionary tale for American voters. Traveling overland from Lisbon to Istanbul, I interviewed historians, artists and activists, exploring how authoritarianism takes hold and how it is resisted. Ukraine was an original target for the journey but it was put aside due to travel and editorial considerations. I had traveled to Ukraine for Surmountable: How Citizens from Selma to Seoul Changed the World, my book on successful citizen movements, writing about the 2014 EuroMaidan.

My decision to return to Ukraine for a sequel to the fascism book began back in late February, when U.S. Vice President JD Vance scorned Ukrainian President Zelensky’s invitation as a propaganda tour. The Oval Office meeting seemed a crystallization of the vulgarity, incompetence, chaos, and corruption of the Trump administration. So, I decided I would do the trip myself, a solo ‘propaganda tour,’ seeking out planned and serendipitous encounters with Ukrainians to explore the effects of Russian aggression and life during wartime.

I will adjust my travel schedule as I go but the basic plan is an August 4 departure from Bangkok; Warsaw 5-7; Lviv 7-9; Kyiv 9-16; Kharkiv 16-20; Odessa 20-24, with possible stopovers in other cities such as Poltava and Dnipro.
I seek stories. Of life and love under assault from the air. Of how artists create in tough times. Of why Ukrainians choose to resist. Of past history and future prospects. As a counter to the USA represented in that Oval Office meeting, I will bring my guitar and perform 60s era folk songs, representing the very best of my country’s aspirations for peace, freedom, and justice.

If you know Ukrainian artists, teachers, activists, public servants and thinkers, or storytellers who deserve an audience, please contact me at briankgruber@gmail.com. You can contact me and check out the project with frequent updates on my Substack at taxiingtheplanet.com. And if you know of places where music is shared or art is created, hook me up. I will be posting several times a day on five social media platforms during the journey, then curating the stories into my next book.

For details on my six books, go to tinyurl.com/mpwmebxj
My website is at www.electric-memories.com

Interests

Writing, acting, travel, live music.

• writing
• acting
• yoga
• coach
• politics
• reading
• traveling
• music
• live music
• round-the-world travel
• world affairs

Music, Movies, and Books

Jazz, rock, blues, folk, but, really, of course, all of it.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Traveled around the world interviewing witnesses to wars.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I am clean, well-mannered, an excellent guest, and respectful of the home and kindnesses of my hosts.

Countries I’ve Visited

Afghanistan, Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Cambodia, Canada, China, Costa Rica, El Salvador, England, France, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Indonesia, Iraq, Ireland, Japan, Laos, Mexico, Monaco, Myanmar, Netherlands, Nicaragua, Oman, Panama, Puerto Rico, Serbia, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

Australia, Cambodia, France, Thailand, United States