By Arevig Caprielian
For once, I really don’t mind the passage of time. How delightful it is that already two years have passed since the day the inaugural readings by contemporary Armenian authors took place at the Armenian Center in Queens, N.Y. At the time, there were trepidations and hope that the event would earn the respectable annual title. There was much pride as well for the idea and the fact that four writers—all women to boot—read their works with admirable generosity toward the audience. No covert glances at their watches, no acceleration of the speed of reading… Just a marvelous disposition and honest sharing of their works, that is to say their thoughts and feelings with the audience. Here is an opportunity to thank again, Nora Armani, Lucine Kasbarian, Lola Koundakjian, and especially Aida Zilelian-Silak, who offered her invaluable assistance in the subsequent literary events.
The Third Annual Readings, organized by the New York chapter of Hamazkayin Armenian Educational and Cultural Society, took place on Feb. 22 at the cafe Waltz in Astoria, N.Y.
Two now evidently short years later, the Third Annual Readings, organized by the New York chapter of Hamazkayin Armenian Educational and Cultural Society, took place on Feb. 22 at the cafe Waltz in Astoria, N.Y. The participants were Maryam Dilakian, Aaron Poochigian, Meline Toumani, and Aida Zilelian-Silak. Almost nothing ever goes as planned, and because “life happened” to multitalented Arto Vaun, he could not be with us, as it was planned. We are sorry about his absence, yet are looking forward to enjoying his presence next year.
The opening remarks on behalf of Hamazkayin of New York were made by Dr. Ara Caprielian, one of the founding members of the New York chapter. In his brief outline of Hamazkayin’s origin and history, he stated: “The Hamazkayin Armenian Educational and Cultural Society is a major organization of the Armenian Diaspora, with a presence in every significant Armenian community worldwide. In addition to organizing cultural events, the Hamazkayin runs schools, publishes books through its printing press, maintains bookstores, publishes a literary magazine, ‘Pakine,’ and organizes the Hamazkayin Forum in Armenia. It was founded on May 28, 1928, in Cairo, Egypt by a group of nine Armenian intellectuals, including the writer and educator Levon Shant; historian, critic, and the first Minister of Education of Armenia, Nigol Aghbalian; former Foreign Minister of the Republic of Armenia Dr. Hamo Ohanjanian; and stage director and art critic Kaspar Ipekian.”
Caprielian evoked Hamazkayin’s mission statement: “To nurture and safeguard the Armenian language, ethnic identity, traditions and intellectual legacy. To promote cultural values and share them with other communities in the United States and throughout the world.” He added that acknowledging Armenian writers who happen to write in English and introducing them to the Armenian community at large is very much within the sphere of responsibilities of Hamazkayin. He then introduced the master of ceremonies and one of the organizers of the evening, Zilelian-Silak.
Zilelian is a New York writer whose stories have appeared in numerous journals and anthologies, such as Wilderness House Literary Review, The Writer’s Block, Ararat Magazine, and Theurgy (UK). She is the curator of the Boundless Tales reading series in Astoria. In 2011, her first novel, The Hollowing Moon, was one of four semi-finalists of the Anderbo Novel Contest. The sequel, The Legacy of Lost Things, was recently accepted for publication and is slotted for release in July 2014 (Bleeding Hearts Publication).
The first reader was poet Aaron Poochigian, whose pensive and soulful poems captured the audience. Poochigian earned a Ph.D. in classics from the University of Minnesota in 2006 and now writes poetry full-time “in a state of non-romantic poverty,” in his own words. His book of translations from Sappho, Stung with Love, was published by Penguin Classics in 2009 (with a preface by UK Poet laureate Carol Anne Duffy). Penguin will publish his translation of the Greek epic Jason and the Argonauts later this year. For his work in translation he was awarded a 2010-11 Grant in Translation by the National Endowment for the Arts. His first book of original poetry, The Cosmic Purr (Able Muse Press), was published in March 2012, and several of the poems in it collectively won the New England Poetry Club’s Daniel Varoujan Prize. His work has appeared in the Financial Times, Poems Out Loud and Poetry periodicals.
The second reader was Yerevan-born Maryam Dilakian. She received a master of international affairs degree at the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University, focusing on international security policy and the domestic and foreign policies of post-Soviet states. She worked for the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs, chaired by former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. She helped shape democratic development programs for Armenia, and worked with civic advocacy and election-monitoring organizations in Central Asia, the Balkans, and Africa. True to her upbringing in a humanitarian family and her natural inclinations, Dilakian left the international political arena and joined the New York City Teaching Fellows program. She holds a master of science in education degree from the City College of New York, and is now in her seventh year as an English teacher for immigrant students. Her prose is gripping, emotionally charged, and often autobiographical. Her next book, Meet Me in 412: Diaries of a New York City Teacher, will be completed by the end of this year.
After a short intermission, Meline Toumani took the stage. Toumani’s name and writing are familiar to those Armenians who follow her reportage. She has written on diverse topics, including foreign affairs, books, and music, for the New York Times Sunday Magazine and Culture pages, the Nation, n+1, Salon.com, the Boston Globe, GlobalPost, the National, and Travel & Leisure. Between 2003 and 2009, she spent much of her time working abroad, reporting from Armenia, Turkey, Russia, and Georgia, and was a journalism fellow in residence at the Institute for Human Sciences in Vienna in 2007. She graduated from U.C. Berkeley with high honors in English and public policy, and holds a master’s degree in journalism from the Cultural Reporting and Criticism Program at New York University. Her first book, There Was and There Was Not: Turkey, the Armenians, and the Story of a Never-Ending History, will be published by Metropolitan Books in November 2014. Toumani’s style is professional, yet does not have that heartless-colorless and nowadays tiresomely common “journalistic” sterility. She tells the story in her own steady voice, and yet her “heartbeat” is also audible.
The fourth reader, Aida Zilelian-Silak is no stranger to the reading public. She has established herself as a serious writer, dedicated to her work. She is certainly a “raconteur” who can easily take you to the place she depicts, and make you walk with her willingly. Her astute observations and her subtle humor make her prose all the more enjoyable. For those who are not yet in the loop, her published works can be found at www.aidazilelian.com.
Members of the current executive committee, Asdghig Sevag (vice-chair), Berjouhie Yessayan, Hovhannes Yessayan, as well as Arevig Caprielian, a member of the New York chapter and the Eastern Regional Executive Committee of Hamazkayin, were in the audience.
The receptive audience and the forthcoming disposition of the readers created an uncommonly warm atmosphere, and everyone lingered long after the program, despite the cafe manager’s stern looks.
Get ready for next year’s reading, fellow Armenian Writer, because Hamazkayin of New York is determined to continue those annual events for as long as there are talented authors. Since there is multi-millennial evidence that Armenians never suffered from a lack of brilliant writers, this annual event might go on indefinitely.