Stories · Vision
stories.victor.ponomarenko.io — The Artistic Meta-Universe of Viktor Ponomarenko's Memoir
Mission
Transform the memoir "Моїм правнукам / To My Great-Grandchildren" into a living creative universe — a curated, beautifully illustrated, gated space where family, collaborators, and invited guests experience Viktor's life not just as text, but as art, imagery, and interactive storytelling.
The name stories (plural) is deliberate: many voices, many forms, one man's extraordinary life.
The Three-Site Ecosystem
| Site | Audience | Access | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
bio.victor.ponomarenko.io |
Family (allowlist) | Cognito + Google OAuth | The complete memoir — all 4 languages, 7 parts, 36 chapters |
stories.victor.ponomarenko.io |
Family + collaborators (separate allowlist) | Cognito + Google OAuth — stricter | Artistic universe: illustrations, slides, timelines, essays |
docs.memoirs.ponomarenko.io |
Public | None | Product documentation for the white-label memoir platform |
stories.victor is the creative complement to bio.victor — not a replacement. The memoir is the source; stories is what grows from it.
Core Pillars
Family history — 36 chapters spanning 1936–1975, Soviet Ukraine to Siberia to independence. Viktor's voice, preserved.
AI-assisted artistry — 18+ illustration concepts, 4 visual styles, character consistency rules. Every chapter has a visual identity. See → stories-creative-playbook.md
Oleksii's craftsmanship — A 17-year-old great-grandson as showrunner. The bridge between the handwritten manuscript and the modern visual experience.
Collaborative, not finished — The site grows over time. New contributors, new content types, new chapters of interpretation.
Access Model
- Authentication: Lambda@Edge + AWS Cognito + Google OAuth (same mechanism as
bio.victor) - Allowlist: Separate SSM parameter —
/story/prod/cognito/allowed-emails— managed independently from bio.victor - Future: Role-based access control (RBAC) to distinguish viewers, contributors, and editors (Task 41)
Stories carries content that is personal and creative. It is not indexed, not public, not discoverable. Invited guests only.
Collaborator Roles
| Role | Who | What they need |
|---|---|---|
| Showrunner | Oleksii | stories-creative-playbook.md — full production guide |
| Developer | Yevgen | stories-platform-spec.md — technical requirements |
| Curator | Family | Allowlist access, feedback on illustrations and content |
| Future illustrator | TBD | Creative playbook + character bible |
What Success Looks Like
By end of 2025: every chapter has at least one illustration, the site has a proper index page, and Oleksii has published his first original visual work here.
By 2026: interactive timeline, period photo galleries, and the first thematic essay are live.
→ See stories-platform-spec.md for phased roadmap.