The Armenian Mirror-Spectator August 17, 2013

S A T U R D A Y, A U G U S T 1 7 , 2 0 1 3ARTS & LIVINGT H E A R M E N I A N M I R R O R - S P E C TAT O R13C A L E N D A RCALIFORNIAAUGUST 18 — Dinner and Conversation on Genocide withProfessor Richard Hovannisian and Rabbi Elie Spitz, 6 p.m.,hosted by the Congregation B’nai Israel, 2111 Bryan Avenue,Tustin; catering by Zov’s Bistro; tickets $15 (by August 5), call714-730-9693 or email cbi18@cbi18.org.CONNECTICUTAUGUST 18 — Armenian Festival, Holy Resurrection Church,1910 Stanley St., New Britain, featuring Armenian music by theHarry Bedrossian Ensemble, Armenia exhibition, kids games anda special guest appearance. Contact the church office at 860-223-7875.MASSACHUSETTSAUGUST 18 — Soorp Asdvadzadzin Armenian Apostolic Churchof Whitinsville will host its Annual Picnic; delicious Armenianfood served and live music provided by the Mugrditchian Band; freeparking. For more info, contact the church rectory at508-234-3677;315 Church Street, Whitinsville, Mass.AUGUST 24 — Book presentation of A Legacy of ArmenianTreasures: The Alex and Marie Manoogian Museum, 7:30p.m., NAASR, 395 Concord Ave, Belmont. Featured speaker willbe book Executive Editor Edmond Azadian, introductory remarksprovided by Armenian Mirror-Spectator Editor Alin Gregorianand NAASR Director of Academic Affairs Marc Mamigonian.Free event, for more info contact hq@naasr.org.AUGUST 25 — 2013 Armenian Church at Hye Pointe Picnic atAmerican Legion Farm, 1314 Main St., Haverhill (RTE 495 to Exit51B onto RTE 125N), 12 noon to 5 p.m. Music by Jason NaroianEnsemble. Menu of shish, losh, chicken kebab dinners, kheyma,pastries and beverages; raffles for cash prizes & gift certificates.Air conditioned functional hall; bring your own chairs; for info:www.hyepointearmenianchurch.org or (978) 372-9227.AUGUST 27 — Gourgen Manoukian Paintings Exhibit“Celebrating 50 Years in Art” at 7 p.m., ALMA, 65 Main St.,Watertown. From the Soviet Union to the US, Manoukian’sworks include a broad range of media painting sea and landscapes,still-life and architectural renderings.SEPTEMBER 8 — Greater Worcester Armenian Chorale 13thAnniversary Gala concert and dinner, 12:30 p.m., CulturalCenter of the Armenian Church of Our Saviour, 34 BoyntonStreet, Worcester. Led by conductor Konstantin Petrossian,soloist Narine Ojakhyan, “Arevig” Armenian Children’s DanceGroup. Reservations call Elizabeth Orsi 508-865-9432. Tickets$25.00, $12.00 children; for program donations call Charles DerKazarian 508-963-2076.SEPTEMBER 8 – Sayat Nova Dance Company performs at PeabodyInternational Festival with favorite dances from their repertory; 11a.m. to 5 p.m. Members of the Dance Company manning dessertbooth featuring homemade delicacies; Peabody Square on LowellStreet. For details, call Peabody Town Hall.SEPTEMBER 8 — Picnic Festival, St. Gregory ArmenianChurch, 158 Main St., North Andover, 12:30-5:30 p.m., featuringArmenian music by Leon Janikian, Jason Naroian, JoeKouyoumjian, John Arzigian, along with Siroun Dance Group;Armenian food and pastries. For more info, visitwww.saintgregory.org.SEPTEMBER 10 — Staged reading of Joyce Van Dyke’s“Deported/ A Dream Play,” 7 p.m. at Clark University, LittleCenter, 950 Main Street, Worcester. The play tells the story oftwo friends, the playwright’s grandmother and the mother ofDr. H. Martin Deranian during the Armenian Genocide; directedby Judy Braha, featuring a cast from the recent Boston production;Q&A to follow; free. For reservations, emailcharkarts@clarku.edu.SEPTEMBER 15 — Talk by Tom Vartabedian titled, “A 50-yearRetrospective into Journalism;” 7 p.m., ALMA, 65 Main St.,Watertown. Vartabedian, award-winning writer and photographer,will kick off the fall season at ALMA with a talk about his50-year career with The Haverhill Gazette and his work as a correspondentwith the Armenian Press since the early 1960s.SEPTEMBER 15 — Trinity Family Festival, 12-5 p.m., Holy TrinityArmenian Church, 145 Brattle St., Cambridge. Delicious food,Armenian music, Children’s games, Blessing of Madagh at 4p.m., raffle drawing and more.SEPTEMBER 16 — Armenian Church of Our Saviour hosts 20thAnnual Golf Tournament at the Sterling Country Club,Sterling, 8:30 a.m. registration, 10 a.m. start; sponsorships andgolf registrations still available; contact the church office at 508-756-2931.On August 24, NAASR will host a book presentationof A Legacy of Armenian Treasures:The Alex and Marie Manoogian Museum at7:30 p.m. The featured speaker will be bookExecutive Editor Edmond Azadian and introductoryremarks will be provided byArmenian Mirror-Spectator Editor AlinGregorian and NAASR Director of AcademicAffairs Marc Mamigonian. The event is freeand open to the public; for more info contacthq@naasr.org. NAASR is located at 395Concord Ave, Belmont, MA.SEPTEMBER 21 — Armenian Independent Broadcasting ofBoston presents Avik Deirmenjian’s newly published bookof poems, Khachardzan, 5 p.m. MC Dr. Ara Ghazarian, bookpresentation by Khajag Mkrtichian, cultural program and receptionto follow; free admission; Armenian Cultural Foundation,441 Mystic St., Arlington.SEPTEMBER 28 — Annual “Walk of Life” Walk-a-thon, NewEngland Chapter of the Armenian Bone Marrow Donor Registry(ABMDR), in Watertown. To register or donate, visithttp://www.abmdr.am.OCTOBER 19 — Hye Kef 5 featuring Leon Janikian, JoeKouyoumjian, Greg Takvorian, Ken Kalajian, Bob Raphalian andJay Baronian, Haverhill, MA, 7:30 p.m., Michael’s Function Hall-12 Alpha Street, Tickets: $40.00 Each Students $30, includesindividually-served mezza platters. Proceeds to benefit allArmenian churches in Merrimack Valley and New Hampshire.Call either John Arzigian, 603-560-3826; Sandy Boroyan, 978-251-8687; Scott Sahagian, 617-699-3581, or Peter Gulezian,978-375-1616. Organized by Armenian Friends’ of America.NOVEMBER 16 — Armenian Women’s Welfare Association(AWWA) celebrates 38th Annual Luncheon-Auction at theBurlington Marriott. Silent Auction and Bidding at 11 a.m.; DoorPrizes for early bird bidding. $60 per person; Visa andMasterCard accepted. For reservation information and generalinquiries contact awwaauction@gmail.com.DECEMBER 6 AND 7 — Trinity Christmas Bazaar, Friday, 3-9p.m., Saturday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Holy Trinity Armenian Church,145 Brattle St., Cambridge.MICHIGANSEPTEMBER 16 — Detroit Chapter Tekeyan Cultural Associationhosts Soiree Musicale, featuring violinist Henrik Karapetyan andpianist Ken Hakobyan, 7:30 p.m., at the Birmingham UnitarianChurch, 38651 Woodward Ave., Bloomfield Hills. Program isdedicated to the memory of Dr. Garabed Belian; reception to follow,$20 donation For reservations, call Diana Alexanian at 248-334-3636 or Karen Koundakjian at (248) 761-9844.NEW YORKNOVEMBER 23-24 – TCA Mher Megerdchian Theatrical Groupcelebrates 15th Anniversary with production of HagopBaronian’s “The Perils of Politeness” (KaghakavaroutyanVnasneruh) directed by Gagik Karapetyan from Armenia; DwightEnglewood High School, 315 E. Palisade Ave., Englewood, NJ.Nov. 23, Saturday at 8 p.m. and Nov. 24, Sunday at 4 p.m. Fortickets; $50, $35, $25; call Marie Zokian (201)745-8850 orMissak Boghosian at (212)819-0097 or (347)365-6985.Poet Laureate ReviewsNew Collection fromDavid KherdianKHERDIAN, from page 10mostly fueled by anger at a succession of“stupid jobs,” Kherdian sees his home city asthrough a child’s eyes, reflecting back more quietly,with both horror and wonderment.The poems Kherdian wrote during the nineyears he and Hogrogian spent at a spiritualcommunity in Oregon, studying the ideas ofGurdjieff, are also here, as are the poems hewrote after leaving the community. While there,he gardened, started a small press and tendedto the animals. Kherdian’s poems appear simpleon the surface — the sort of poem that shouldentice a wide audience — but they are far fromcommonplace, as he says about the act ofwatching two horses and a man plowing theearth for nurturance:…as if one did not know thatthe simple is not commonplaceas if one did not knowthat the commonplacehas been nearly lostand was being recaptured nowby the quiet, difficultnecessary toil of honest labor:a man, two horses, the earth—as if holiness for the momentcould be anything but this.(from “Coming Into The Farm”)And finally, there are poems which directlyaddress the Armenian genocide. How couldthere not be? Kherdian’s biography of his mother,The Road from Home, was a NewburyHonor book, and to my mind the definitiveexploration of that still under-reported periodin history. The poems make the tragedy personalbut leave us thankful that Kherdian is theone telling the tale.This numbness has taken a lifetimeto lift. Now in your lowered graves,I beseech you to look upon theempty space I will fill oncewe come to be joined againbecause we were always one.(from “Mother Father Poem”)A 2012 recipient of the Armenian Star Award,Kherdian is widely recognized as one of themost important and distinctive voices inArmenian-American poetry over the last fourdecades. I am pleased he is still writing, andhere among us in Northampton.(David Kherdian reads from his work August23, 5 p.m., at Food for Thought Books inAmherst. Richard Michelson is the current PoetLaureate of Northampton.)‘Voice of Silence’ atRegent TheatreARLINGTON, Mass. — The ArmenianInternational Women’s Association (AIWA) ishosting a showing of Armenian director VigenChaldranyan’s latest movie, “Voice of Silence.” Itwill be screened on Wednesday, August 28, at theArlington Regent Theatre, 7 Medford St. at 7 p.m.The film features best-actress award-winnerMariam Davtyan, portraying a homeless youngwoman named Jiji. Her eccentric way of living ina sand pit attracts the attention of film directorJohn, who has returned home to Armenia toshoot a movie after living in the United States.Their encounter raises provocative issues surroundingsurvival, identity and values. This wellroundedmovie is shown with English subtitles.Chaldranyan will be present at the screening.During the evening he will introduce the movieand lead a question-and-answer discussion.Part of the evening’s proceeds will benefit theWomen’s Support Center in Yerevan.Tickets can be purchased in advance by contactingthe AIWA office in Watertown, or online at: www.itsmyseat.com, or email: evamedzorian@gmail.com.