Alice Adams (real name Ksenia Marchuk) was born on April 22, 2001, in Vinnytsia, Ukraine. She developed an interest in creativity from an early age. At four, she joined a vocal class, and at six she entered the preparatory program of Vinnytsia Children’s Music School No. 2. After passing entrance exams for the first grade, she was refused admission due to her young age. However, her grandmother persisted, and on September 1, 2007, at the age of seven, Alice was admitted to the Vinnytsia Children’s School of Arts, majoring in vocal and choral performance.
In the same year, she began her studies at what is now Vinnytsia Lyceum No. 22. Due to bullying and a lack of intervention from the school staff, she transferred at the beginning of the 7th grade to Vinnytsia Lyceum No. 11. There, she joined the literary studio “Sribnyi Peredzvin” (“Silver Chime”) of the Prosvita Society named after Taras Shevchenko, under the guidance of poet Svitlana Travneva (Yelyseeva).
Alice began writing poetry as early as the 4th grade, also experimenting with rap lyrics. Many of these early works were lost when her grandmother destroyed them, considering them nonsensical. Despite this, Alice continued to write, which led to her first literary achievements.
In May 2016, she won first place in the school competition for beginner poets “Spoviduyus u Slovi” (“I Confess in Words”) in Vinnytsia. Later that year, on October 12, she took part in the 14th regional stage of the All-Ukrainian Children and Youth Arts Festival “Surmy Zvytiahy” (“Trumpets of Victory”), where she received a participant’s diploma and became a laureate of the 1st degree in the category of Author’s Reading.
In the autumn of 2016, she participated in the final stage of the same festival in Lviv, earning a diploma for her original poem and being recognized as a diploma holder in the category “Author’s Poetry and Prose”, receiving a special jury award for the relevance of her works. On December 22, 2016, Alice won the All-Ukrainian Literary and Art Contest “Ya Gordyi Tym, Shcho Ukrayinets Zrod” (“I Am Proud to Be Born Ukrainian”) in the “Poetic Hope” category. That same year, she received a certificate of appreciation for patriotism and participation in the art campaign “Zakolot” (“Revolt”).
In April 2017, Alice took third place in the city competition for beginner poets “Zelene Hrono” (“Green Cluster”). Soon after, her work was published in the literary and art magazine Vinnytskyi Krai (“Vinnytsia Region”).
At the age of six, Alice wrote a short version of the fairy tale that would later become “Brave Bee Berry”, originally titled “The Adventures of the Bee and the Chamomile”. Although she intended to send it to a children’s TV program, this dream did not come true.
In 2023, after graduating from Weston College (UK) with a degree in Music Performance & Production, Alice revisited her childhood story and adapted it to reflect the realities of the modern world. In 2024, she self-funded the printing of the first 50 English-language copies of “Brave Bee Berry” at the Ukrainian printing house Master Knyg, selling them successfully at The Bakehouse at Wick Farm. She also sent three copies to Her Royal Highness the Princess of Wales for her children — Princes George and Louis and Princess Charlotte — and received a warm letter of thanks in response.
In 2025, Alice independently published the e-book version of “Brave Bee Berry” with the assistance of the Indian publishing company Book Bazooka, making it available on Google Play, Google Books, and Amazon Kindle.
Her creative path reflects resilience, dedication, and the ability to transform childhood inspiration into meaningful stories for young readers.