Eastern U.S. edition - Armenian Reporter

6 The Armenian Reporter | June 13, 2009
Community
Gartal and agla-ny to present “An Evening of Literary Pride” June 20
NEW YORK – “Pride,” a loaded
term for the Armenian and queer
communities alike, is the theme of
a June 20 literary evening sponsored
by Gartal and the Armenian
Gay and Lesbian Association of
New York.
East Village novelist Arthur
Nersesian (The Sacrificial Circumcision
of the Bronx ) will host the evening.
Memoirist Nancy Agabian (Me as
her again: True Stories of an Armenian
Daughter ) will introduce writers and
poets David Ciminello, Amy Ouzoonian,
Aaron Poochigian, Margarita
Shalina, and Hrag Vartanian.
The readings take place at the
lgbt Community Services Center,
room 410, at 208 W. 13th St. (between
7th and 8th Aves.) in New
York City.
David Ciminello’s fiction has appeared
in the literary journal Lumina.
His short story “pd xox” appears in
the forthcoming anthology Portland
Queer: Tales of the Rose City. His poetry
has appeared in Poetry Northwest.
His original screenplay Bruno
(a finalist in the Nicholl Fellowships
in Screenwriting) was produced
and occasionally appears on dvd as
something vaguely resembling the
original story. David has received
his mfa in fiction from Sarah Lawrence
College. He currently lives in
New York City where he works as a
writer and teaching artist.
Amy Ouzoonian is a writer,
performance artist and editor.
She is the author of Your Pill
(Poems, Foothills Publishing),
editor of In the Arms of Words:
Poems for Disaster Relief (Poems,
Sherman Asher Press). She is
currently a graduate student at
The New School and is working
on a series of performance pieces
that incorporates her work with
music and dance called “Waiting
Journey.” She lives and creates in
Queens.
Aaron Poochigian attended
Moorhead State University from
where he studied under the poets
Dave Mason, Alan Sullivan, and
Tim Murphy. After traveling and
doing research in Greece on fellowship,
he earned his Ph.D. in classics
from the University of Minnesota.
Forthcoming translations include
Sappho’s poems and fragments for
Penguin Classics; Aeschylus, Aratus
and Apollonius of Rhodes in
the Norton Anthology of Greek Literature
in Translation; and his edition
of Aratus’ astronomical poem,
The Phaenomena, from Johns Hopkins
University Press. His original
poems have appeared in numerous
journals, including Arion, The Dark
Horse, Poetry Magazine and Smartish
Pace. He now lives and writes
in Brooklyn.
Margarita Shalina was born in
Leningrad and raised on New York’s
Lower East Side. Her poetry has appeared
in Poems for the Retired Nihilist
V. 2 (Fortune Teller Press, UK,
Nancy Agabian.
2007), EvergreenReview.com, New
York Nights, and as a broadside for
Poetry Motel. She has written essays
for zeek Magazine and Three
Percent, the website that accompanies
Open Letter Press. She was a
contributing translator to Contemporary
Russian Poetry (Dalkey Archive
Press, 2007) and is the Independent
Press Buyer for St. Marks
Bookshop. She lives in New York.
Arthur Nersesian.
Hrag Vartanian is an Armenian-
Canadian writer, critic, and cultural
worker. He lives in New York and
his work has appeared in the Art21
blog, agbu News, the Brooklyn Rail,
nyfa’s Current, Huffington Post, and
Modern Painters. He contributes
a street art column, “Re:Public”,
to ArtCat Zine. He serves on the
board of the Ararat Quarterly and
the Triangle Arts Association. He
also blogs daily at hragvartanian.
com. He is gayly married and hopes
that one day his marriage will be
legally recognized across America
and around the world.
Since 2002, Gartal (“to read” in
Armenian) has been an independent
forum for both established
and emerging writers of Armenian
descent and/or writers dealing
with Armenian themes to read
their poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction
and dramatic texts to the
public. Coordinated by Ms. Agabian,
Gartal brings together, via the
dual acts of reading and listening,
diverse Armenian constituencies,
from the progressive to the traditional.
A particular effort is made
to give voice to Armenian stories
that haven’t been widely heard, including
those of mixed race, various
religions, different economic backgrounds,
and queer Armenians.
Since 1998, the purpose of agla
NY has been to provide space for
lesbian, gay, bi, and transgender Armenian-Americans,
their partners,
and their allies to come together,
fostering visibility and strengthening
ties between the queer and
Armenian communities. The group
meets monthly at the Lesbian, Gay,
Bisexual & Transgender Community
Center in New York.
connect:
armeniandrama.org/gartal.phpaglany.
org
Calendar of Events
NEW YORK
JUNE 21 - FATHER’S DAY
PICNIC at St. Nersess Armenian
Seminary - 150 Stratton
Rd., New Rochelle, NY. Badarak
at 10 a.m. with Picnic beginning
at noon. Traditional kebab
meals, delicious homemade
desserts, Ara Dinkjian Ensemble,
children’s activities, St.
Nersess Store, and more. Free
admission and parking. Please
visit www.stnersess.edu or call
914-636-2003 for more info.
JUNE 21 - ARS NY EREBU-
NI CHAPTER’S FATHERS
DAY LUNCHEON. Maestro
Raffi Sevadjian will be honored
as Father of the Year.
St. Sarkis Church Hall 38-65
234 Douglaston, NY @ 1:00
pm. Admission: $40 adults &
$20 children (12 & under). For
reservations contact: Nayda
Voskeritchian @ (516) 603-
2809 or Yeran Atakhanian @
(718)-279-9658
JUNE 22 - The Diocese of
the Armenian Church of
America (Eastern) and The
Fund for Armenian Relief
cordially invite you to attend
an open reception honoring
Her Excellency Marie Yovanovitch,
U.S. Ambassador to
the Republic of Armenia on
Monday, June 22, 2009, at
7 pm in the Haik and Alice
Kavookjian Auditorium, located
at 630 Second Avenue
(at 35th St.) The event is free
and open to the public.
JULY 1-4, 2009, AAHPO
hosts the Tenth Armenian
Medical World Congress featuring
an International Scientific
program for health care
providers at the Hilton NY.
Wed July 1, Welcome reception
to meet friends & to mingle
with colleagues from around
the globe. Thurs. July 2, visit
Metropolitan Museum of Art
to see two Armenian Khatchkars
& artifacts.
JULY 2, dinner cruise on the
Hudson and enjoy the splendor
of New York Harbor & its
skyline, with music & dinner
dance. Saturday July 4, Grand
Gala Banquet with Arthur Abkarian
Orchestra and watch
the spectacular July 4 Fireworks.
For more imformation,
please call Seta Nalbandian
201-819-5719, Vicki Shoghag
Hovhanessian 219-313-9928
or contact www.aahpo.org/
amwc09
AUG. 16 - STS. VARTAN-
ANTZ ANNUAL CHURCH
PICNIC & BLESSING
OF THE GRAPES -- Sunday,
August 16th, 1-5pm at
Dunkerhook Park, off Paramus
Road, Paramus, NJ.
All are welcome to enjoy
delicious shish kebab grill,
homemade foods and desserts,
music, playground
for the kids! In the case
of rain, the picnic will be
held in the Great Hall at Sts.
Vartanantz Church. Directions:
From Rt 17 -- take
Century Road exit. Right
onto Paramus Road. First
left to Dunkerhook Road.
Follow signs to Pavillion
D. From Route 4 -- take
Paramus Road exit. First
left after Century Road to
Dunkerhook Road. Follow
signs to Pavillion D. Call
the Church Office for more
information: 201-943-2950.
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