An Evening with Ivan Cox, the Author of Blood Pudding: Confessions of an Immigrant Boy, Pittsburgh, 1920

Join us for a literary evening at the Kosciuszko Foundation in Washington, DC, on Saturday, December 5, 2026, at 5:00 PM, as we welcome author Ivan Cox for a Meet the Author event featuring his novel, Blood Pudding: Confessions of an Immigrant Boy, Pittsburgh, 1920.

Set against the backdrop of early twentieth-century industrial Pittsburgh, Blood Pudding vividly—and at times violently—portrays the raw struggles of the colorful Malinowski family, Polish immigrants striving to build a life in America.

At the heart of the story is their son, Tad, whose boyhood is a gauntlet of painful experiences, humiliations, and cruelties. Gritty and unflinching, yet ultimately filled with love, the novel captures Tad’s clear and compelling voice while evoking the cold, constant heartbeat of a growing industrial city. Through the lives of its immigrant families, we glimpse the restless yet noble soul of Pittsburgh and the hardships, resilience, and humanity of those who helped shape it.

The book is available for purchase HERE.

Blood Pudding is also available on Audible, narrated by Ivan Cox.

About the Author

Ivan Cox is the pen name of Gerry Yukevich, who was born in Steubenville, Ohio, a smoky steel town on the Ohio River, to a physician father and a nurse mother.

Gerry’s educational journey took him to Kiski School, Princeton University, and the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. He completed his medical training at N.E. Deaconess Hospital in Boston and earned a Master of Public Health degree from Harvard School of Public Health. For twenty years, he practiced emergency medicine at Boston-area hospitals while pursuing his literary and theatrical interests.

A man of many talents, Gerry published Alpha-Bête, a free-form art sheet, and founded The Buster-Scimitar Grotto Theater, dedicated to European farce and original American plays. He also intermittently served as a ship’s doctor for Norwegian Cruise Lines in the Caribbean and Pacific.

In 1995, Gerry moved with his wife, Martha, and daughter, Anna, to Martha’s Vineyard, where he continued practicing medicine while writing novels, farces, and screenplays under the name Ivan Cox.

His published books include:

• Cruise Ship Doctor – a comic novel set in the Caribbean.
• Blood Pudding: Confessions of an Immigrant Boy, Pittsburgh, 1920 – a powerful portrait of a Polish immigrant family and the challenges of growing up in industrial America.
• Oodles of Rubles: The Russian Oligarch’s (Confidential) Guide to Martha’s Vineyard Real Estate – a satire illustrated by celebrated New Yorker cartoonist Mick Stevens.

Gerry’s/Ivan’s essays and reviews have appeared in the Vineyard Gazette and the MV Times. His current work in progress is Wrestling the Serpent: Human Truths Seen in Medicine.

An avid amateur pianist, he has spent much of his adult life wrestling with the music of Chopin.

Visit Gerry’s/Ivan’s official website HERE

Don’t miss this opportunity to meet Ivan Cox, hear about the inspiration behind his writing, and discover a compelling story of Polish immigration, family, childhood, and the immigrant experience in America.

We look forward to welcoming you for an afternoon of literature, history, and conversation!

The meeting is free and open to the public. Please RSVP to KFDC@thekf.org

Wine and light refreshments will be served.