Interview with Aram Pachyan Interview with Aram Pachyan ### Introduction Today, we have the pleasure of speaking with Aram Pachyan, an influential voice in contemporary Armenian literature. Known for his poignant and evocative writing, Pachyan captures the essence of post-Soviet and post-war Armenia through his deeply personal narratives. His journey to becoming a writer was …

The Girl Who Redesigned the Matter The seventies in Turkey was an interesting time. It was a time of political violence, assassinations and separatism. There was a small city in northeast Turkey inhabited by Turks and Armenians and there was a little girl with just two dolls discovering the world all on her own. The …

Farewell Farewell – literally meaning go on with your journey (fare) + in goodness, in good reason (wel). The Turkish participants are going back home with, as one of the participants said, the Armenian perspective alongside the Turkish one. We, Armenians, got to know the people whose ancestors used to live side by side with …

Demons Demons You silence your thoughts within Your gaze turns to the dark You erase the images That reflect your deepest heart Be silent, It’s a noise Scream, To the skies And the demons will come out To roam ‘neath midnight’s eyes You slowly open your eyes You see within the night And the shadows …

Ես Հասմիկն եմ Ես Հասմիկն եմ։ Ես քսաներկու տարեկան եմ։ Հասմիկ անունը ինձ չի սազում։ Ես ինձ երբեք Հասմիկ չեմ զգացել։ Հասմիկը պիտի Մրգավան գյուղում ծնված լինի իսկ ես ծնվել եմ Երևան գյուղում ու երազում եմ ավելի մեծ գյուղերի՝ արևմտյան մեգագյուղերի մասին։ Հասմիկը պիտի գերազանցիկ լինի դպրոցում։ Ես չեմ եղել։ Հասմիկը պիտի կամ բանասեր լինի …

little secret when i was in primary school, i had this friend who was never with us when we had religion lessons in fourth year. the teacher explained it by saying she is helping me with something in the library. i remember how envious i felt because she wasn’t obligated to take these boring lessons …

A Come Back I’m back home. The smell is the same, but they’ve changed the sofa with a green cover that I used to see every day since I was four. Our home always has its specific smell. It’s a mix of freshness, care, and drama. The little statues of men on the wall of …

What If? Finally, it’s my last day in Armenia. Actually, I’m a little bit sad because I wish we could stay a little longer. This camp taught me so many things. It taught me to look at things from a different perspective, it taught me to be more creative, it taught me that no one …

Լե տուա, սե տուա Լրագրողները հերթապահ նախադասությունների մեծ զինանոց ունեն։ Լրագրողներին հանկարծակիի բերել ու դիմակազերծել բավականին դժվար է, լրագրողները քաղաքական գործիչների պես կարողանում են թաքցնել իրենց չիմացությունը տերմինների հետևում։ Լավ լրագրողները։ Լրագրությունը անդեմ է։ Հայ-թուրքական սահմանին գտնվող Մարգարա գյուղի մասին բազմաթիվ ռեպորտաժներ կան։ Հրանտ Մաթևոսյանի գյուղ Ահնիձորի մասին բազմաթիվ ռեպորտաժներ կան։ Շիրակի մարզի կաթոլիկ համարվող …

Detachment from the Origin Civilization is not knowing the origin of what you eat. While walking through the ancient city side of Casablanca, I noticed live chickens in a cage in the middle of the street. As I started to watch from a distance, a woman approached the man with a knife standing next to …

No…el A wall of dark smog, unbothered by the blueness of the sky and the spring birds singing, was hovering over the city landscape. He knew exactly how it would look like, he knew the shapelessness of the dark torrent directed by the wind, he knew the speed of its darkness covering the nearby neighborhoods, …

On Finding Bouquets at Night the other day we went on a walk to the city center. that was because it was the only place we knew how to go and we felt as if we would be lost for the rest of our lives if we were to take a wrong turn. memorised the …

Fear Fear. Fear of the past. Fear of the future. Fear for yourself. Fear for your family. Fear for the people you share the language with. Fear of the people you shared language once. Fear of scaring them away. Fear of being misunderstood. Fear of the pagan past. Fear of the religionless future  – of …

Make Up Your Mind Don’t think that you’re smarter; they all are stupid. Your achievements are not achievements at all; they’re just as normal as breathing, as normal as walking and wondering how beautiful some things can be. They’re as simple as your ups and your downs too. You can’t live imagining all the time …

Burden You come into this world, you shed your first tear and scream while you cry. Your mom cries out of happiness, there is no one happier than her at that time. But then you grow up a little and your parents have to change your diaper everyday, all the time. This is the first …

Those men… (Inspired by Jamaica Kincaid) Hey BOY, what’s that? What kind of a barber gave you that princess haircut? Get rid of it for God’s sake, it’s not becoming of an Armenian man to have those spagettis on his head, man up! My dear, DEAR son, you are a wunderkind, you can multiply, divide …

“Where Are You From?” Before I came to Armenia, some people told me to not speak Turkish there, or not to say where I come from. I understand their worries but I didn’t even think about lying before I came to Armenia. Because everyone should be free to express themselves, as long as you are …

rotting away broken pavement stones, double-parked cars choking the street. a slope that wouldn’t be considered steep compared to others in the neighborhood. as i walk slowly, i keep looking at the ground, checking for any dead animals. a year ago, when this place didn’t quite feel like home yet, i saw a dead parrot …

Poolside with Big Brother​ The pages of the book get wet from being tossed around the pool. Not long after, though, they dry under the burning sun as I spend 10 minutes reading the same page – my eyes going down and the same way up the lines several times as I catch myself distracted …

visuals a small pergola enclosed with wooden fences, a ten-person table arranged for small gatherings, a four-shelf bookcase with antique metal utensils on it, wooden tables scattered across uneven terrain each at different heights, upside-down seashell ashtrays on each table, decorative ethnic rugs hanging on the surrounding walls, butterflies signaling the arrival of summer fluttering …

My first day in Armenia After a short, but very pleasurable flight we finally landed in Armenia. The first thing that I saw was this beautiful big Armenian flag. When I saw that, I thought ”This is real. I’m really in Armenia. But after the airport of Istanbul, I was surprised. I thought that the …

Reflection “We are all reflections of the decisions we have made,” she said and threw a cup of coffee at the mirror she had been standing in front of for two hours. A girl named after a famous queen was sitting down and crying because of the feeling of powerlessness. She remembered all the details …

Thoughts on Making Sense Yesterday Arevik said, “We learn everything in comparison.”  This phrase brings to mind my time studying semiotics. One of the fundamental lessons that has stayed with me is that we make sense of things through comparison and differentiation. In semiotics, we understand that no word has an intrinsic meaning by itself; …

Weird families and character development Weird family members are best for our character development – that’s my takeaway from the first day at the Write in Armenia international camp. I often see words getting misused for the sake of comedic exaggeration. Sometimes I think, “My family is so weird,” but when asked for concrete examples, I struggle …

Coins in the Fountain Back then, I didn’t know that those round playgrounds with levelled stairs and benches were called Platea in Greek – the modern amphitheater-piazzas. In the morning, Greek elderlies go there, enjoying the high sun, trying to feel its taste once more before their suns are lost in oblivion, the kids are …

Թուրքիա-Վրաստան խաղ Turkey-Armenia Game Մեր երկրում, որ բան չի կատարվում, լրատվականները գրում են, որ Ձեր նախագահը քաղցկեղ ունի, մեռնում ա, ուրախանում ենք։ Ես էլ ամբողջ կյանք լսել եմ, որ թշնամին եք, բայց պատճառը նորմալ չգիտեմ։ Ամեն հայ աղջկա կյանքում մի անգամ հարցրել են, որ թուրքի սիրահարվի կամուսնանա՞։  Բոլոր ծանոթներս հարցնում էին ուրիշ երկիր չկա՞, ինչի՞ …

Yerevan Before My Eyes One of the first things that caught my attention in this beautiful, fairy tale-like city was that people had a sense of community and collectivity. From my personal experiences in Turkey, this is something very distanced from us. There is not one single thing that we agree upon and share the …