The Eastern Regional Executive of Hamazkayin Armenian Educational and Cultural Society announced winners of the ^4th Minas and Kohar Tölölyan Prize in Contemporary Literature as Susan Arpajian Jolley and Allan Arpajian, co-authors of Out of My Great Sorrows: The Armenian Genocide and Artist Mary Zakarian.

Out of My Great Sorrows is the story of Philadelphia artist Mary Zakarian, whose life and work were shaped by the experiences of her mother, a survivor of the 1915 Armenian Genocide. Written by Mary Zakarian’s niece and nephew, the narrative examines the complexities of the artist’s life as they relate to many issues, including ethnicity, gender, immigration, and assimilation. Above all this is a story of trauma – its effects on the survivor, its transmission through the generations, and its role in the artistic experience.

Zakarian painted obsessively throughout her life. As she gained recognition for her artwork, she became increasingly haunted by her mother’s untold story and was driven to express the tragedy of the Armenian Genocide in her art.

Zakarian’s attempt to deal openly with the issues of trauma and guilt caused conflicts in her relationship with her mother. These emotions became a driving force behind her art as well as the basis for her personal difficulties.

By examining Mary Zakarian’s life and art, the authors bring new insights to the study of the Armenian experience.

This moving story will inspire all those who have struggled to express themselves in the face of injustice and oppression.

This critically acclaimed book is available on Amazon.

Named after one of the major Armenian literary critics of the second half of the 20^th century and his wife, a devoted teacher of that literature for decades, the annually awarded Minas and Kohar Tölölyan Prize in Contemporary Literature recognizes the work produced by talented writers working in North America.

The prize is intended to encourage new work in all the major genres of literary production, as they are currently understood in North America. Works in Armenian, English, French, and Spanish are considered if the authors are of Armenian ancestry, or the work has an Armenian theme or revolves around an Armenian topic.

This prize was initiated by the Eastern Regional Executive committee of Hamazkayin a number of years ago to encourage and recognize those who wish to write on Armenian topics and/or in Armenian language. The financial award of $1,500 is made possible through the generosity of Mr. and Mrs. Edward and Vergine Misserlian of San Francisco, California.

Members of the jury are: Dr. Sima Aprahamian Hovhannessian, (Montreal), Anoush Agnerian (Montreal), Dr. Vartan Matiossian (New York/New Jersey), Karen [Káren] Jallatyan (California).

«Համազգային»ի Արեւելեան Ա.Մ.Ն.-ի Շրջանային Վարչութեան 2019 «Մինաս եւ Գոհար Թէօլէօլեան» Ժամանակակից Գրականութեան  Մրցանակը

Համազգային Հայ Կրթական եւ Մշակութային Միութեան Արեւելեան Ա.Մ.Ն-ի Շրջանային Վարչութիւնը կը տեղեկացնէ չորրորդ «Մինաս եւ Գոհար Թէօլէօլեան» Ժամանակակից Գրականութեան Մրցանակաբաշխութեան արդիւնքը: 2019 թ. մրցանակի կ՛արժանանայ  Ալան Արփաճեանի (Allan Arpajian) եւ Սիւզան Արփաճեան Ջոլլիի (Susan Arpajian Jolley) Out of My Great Sorrows: The Armenian Genocide and Artist Mary Zakarian՝  Ֆիլատելֆիա հաստատուած արուեստագէտ Մարի Զաքարեանի  կեանքին նուիրուած գեղագիտական երկը։

Դատական կազմը հանգեցաւ այս որոշումին շատ երկար խորհրդածութիւններէ ետք, որովհետեւ ներկայացուած ստեղծագործութիւնների մեծ մասը իւրովի արժանիքներ ունեին ։

Մրցանակը յատկացուեց այս յուշագրութիւնը գեղարուեստական վէպի նման կարդացուելուն եւ ընտանիքի մը պատմութեան ընդմէջէն ամբողջ ժողովուրդի մը պատմութիւնը բնականօրէն շաղկապուած փոխանցելուն համար։

«Համազգային»ի այս մրցանակը կը կրէ հայ գրականութեան երախտաւոր, գրաքննադատ, «Հայրենիք»ի երկարամեայ խմբագիր Մինաս Թէօլէօլեանի ու իր կողակցի` հայոց լեզուի եւ գրականութեան ուսուցչուհի Գոհար Թէօլէօլեանի անունը:
Այս մրցանակը կը շնորհուի Հիւսիսային Ամերիկայի մէջ բնակող շնորհալի հեղինակներուն: Համազգայինի հիմնական նպատակն է մրցանակի միջոցով քաջալերել այն հեղինակներուն, որոնք կը գրեն հայեցի նիւթերու մասին: Իւրաքանչիւր մրցանակակիրի նիւթական պարգեւն է $1,500: Գրութիւնները կրնան ըլլալ գրական որեւէ հիմնական ձեւի մէջ. բանաստեղծութիւն, պատմուածք, վէպ, նորավէպ, թատերգութիւն, ինչպէս նաեւ յուշագրութիւն, մտորումներ եւ գրական վերլուծութիւններ: Մրցոյթի մասնակիցները պէտք է ծագումով հայազգի ըլան եւ կամ ներկայացուած բովանդակութիւնը հայութեան վերաբերող նիւթ պարունակէ:

Այս մրցանակի նիւթական յատկացումը կատարած են Սան Ֆրանսիսքոյաբնակ Տէր եւ Տիկին Եդուարդ եւ Վերժին Մսըրլեաններ:

Դատական կազմի անդամներն են. Դոկտ. Սիմա Աբրահամեան Յովհաննէսեան (Մոնրէալ), Օր. Անոյշ Ակներեան (Մոնթրէալ), Դոկտ. Վարդան Մատթէոսեան (Նիւ Ճըրզի), Դոկտ. Կարէն Ջալլաթեան

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The Eastern Regional Executive Committee of Hamazkayin Armenian Educational and Cultural Society of United States announces the winners of the 5th Minas and Kohar Tölölyan Prize in Contemporary Literature,  Mehre for his “Բացատ” collection of poems in Armenian language, and Susan Barba for her poetry collection, Fair Sun, published in 2017 by David R. Godine Publisher in Boston.

Susan Barba was born in New Jersey and educated at Dartmouth College. She earned an MFA from Boston University, and a PhD in comparative literature from Harvard University, specializing in Russian, Armenian, and English. She is a co-editor of I Want to Live: Poems of Shushanik Kurghinian (2005), translated by Shushan Avagyan. Her own poems have appeared in Poetry, The Hudson Review, The Yale Review, Antioch Review, Raritan, and other journals, and her translations from Armenian have appeared in Words Without Borders and Ararat. She has received fellowships from the MacDowell Colony and Yaddo. She is a senior editor for New York Review of Books and her most recent poetry collection is Fair Sun (2017).

Mehre (Mher Karakashian) was born in Beirut, Lebanon and educated in Notre Dame University, specializing in television and theatre production. Currently he is completing his degree in Art Education at Concordia University (Montreal).

From 1987 to 1993 he directed theater groups first in Beirut and  later in Montreal. Mehre

was the producer and director of Horizon TV (Montreal) from 1991 to 2006. He collaborates with ICI Multicultural Television in documentary film projects.

Karakashian is the co-founder of the “New Literature” movement. His published works  are: “Anonymous”, 1984, “Herian”, 1987 and “Love“, 1988. Mehre is a frequent contributor to “Horizon” Armenian weekly. Since 1995 he has been teaching Armenian literature, culture and history at the Sourp Hagop Armenian school in Montreal where he is also the coordinator of the Armenian program.

Minas and Kohar Tololyan

Named after one of the major Armenian literary critics of the second half of the 20^th century and his wife, a devoted teacher of literature for decades, the annually awarded Minas and Kohar Tölölyan Prize in Contemporary Literature recognizes the work produced by talented writers working in North America. The prize is intended to encourage new work in all the major genres of literary production, as they are currently understood in North America. Works in Armenian, English, French, and Spanish are considered if the authors are of Armenian ancestry, or the work has an Armenian theme or revolves around an Armenian topic.

Hamazkayin Armenian Educational and Cultural Society’s Eastern Regional Executive initiated this prize a number of years ago to encourage and recognize those who write in the Armenian language or on Armenian topics. The financial award of $1,500 is made possible through the generosity of Mr. and Mrs. Edward and Vergine Misserlian of San Francisco, California.

Members of the jury are Dr. Sima Aprahamian (Montreal), Anoush Agnerian (Montreal), Dr. Vartan Matiossian (New York/New Jersey), and Gourgen Arzoumanian (California).

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Hamazkayin Announces Winner of 2017 Tololyan Prize in Contemporary Literature

The Regional Executive Committee of Hamazkayin Armenian Educational and Cultural Society of Eastern United States announces the winner of the ^4th Minas and Kohar Tölölyan Prize in Contemporary Literature,  Christopher Atamian for his poetry collection entitled A Poet in Washington Heights. The book is forthcoming from the Nauset Press publishers.

Christopher Atamian

Atamian was the winner of the inaugural Minas and Kohar Tölölyan Prize in Contemporary Literature, for his translation of Nigoghos Sarafian’s The Bois de Vincennes.

Atamian is a translator, writer, and director. In 2006, he produced the OBIE Award-winning play “Trouble in Paradise” and was included as an invited artist to the 2009 Venice Biennale for his video “Desire.” His short films and videos have screened throughout the world and he appears regularly in such publications as the Huffington Post and the New York Times, and was for several years the dance critic for the now-defunct New York Press. Atamian has written one novel, Speaking French, and is at work on several commercial musicals and film scripts.

Atamian has translated six books from French and Western Armenian into English, including Nigoghos Sarafian’s The Bois de Vincennes, and three for Columbia University’s Middle Eastern Studies Department: Krikor Beledian’s Fifty Years of Armenian Literature in France, and Marc Nichanian’s Literature and Catastrophe and The Armenian Language Throughout History. He has also translated Philippe Delma’s The Rosy Future of War (The Free Press) and is currently at work on Denis Donikian’s Vidures/Offal, an award-winning novel published on Actes Sud.

Atamian has worked in senior positions for leading media companies, including ABC, Ogilvy Interactive, and JP Morgan’s marketing division. He received his bachelor’s degree from Harvard University and his MBA from Columbia Business School, and is also an alumnus of USC Film School. He has been a Fulbright, Bronfman, and Gulbenkian Scholar.

Atamian has been active in the Armenian community since he was a teenager and has served on the board of the Columbia Center for Armenian Studies and as executive director of the Armenia Fund USA. He was the elected president two years running of the Armenian Gay and Lesbian Association of NY (AGLA NY) and currently sits on this organization’s board of trustees.

Named after one of the major Armenian literary critics of the second half of the 20^th century and his wife, a devoted teacher of that literature for decades, the annually awarded Minas and Kohar Tölölyan Prize in Contemporary Literature recognizes the work produced by talented writers working in North America. The prize is intended to encourage new work in all the major genres of literary production, as they are currently understood in North America. Works in Armenian, English, French, and Spanish are considered if the authors are of Armenian ancestry, or the work has an Armenian theme or revolves around an Armenian topic.

Hamazkayin Armenian Educational and Cultural Society’s Eastern Regional Executive initiated this prize a number of years ago to encourage and recognize those who write in the Armenian language or on Armenian topics. The financial award of $1,500 is made possible through the generosity of Mr. and Mrs. Edward and Vergine Misserlian of San Francisco, California.

The jury consists of Dr. Sima Aprahamian (Montreal), Anoush Agnerian (Montreal), Dr. Vartan Matiossian (New York/New Jersey), Gourgen Arzoumanian (California).