Celebration of Leonardo Alishan’s Literary Work

GLENDALE, CA The library invites you to celebrate Leonardo Alishan’s literary work at the Glendale Public Library Auditorium, 222 East Harvard Street, on Sunday, November 20, 2011 at 4pm. Admission is free and the seating is limited. Library visitors receive 3 hours FREE parking across the street at The Market Place parking structure with validation at the loan desk.

Leonardo "Nardo" Paul Alishan was a former University of Utah professor, writer and poet who passed away in 2005. Nardo was born in Iran, to Armenian parents. During his life he published two collections of poetry, Dancing Barefoot on Broken Glass and Through a Dewdrop. His poems and short stories have been published in a variety of anthologies and journals, and he was the recipient of a number of literary awards.

The program will include an in depth discussion of Leonardo Alishan’s literary work through lectures given by Gourgen Arzoumanian, Dr. Rubina Peroomian and Ara Oshagan.

A multimedia presentation will highlight the life of Leonardo ALishan through photos, a radio interview and more.

Poet and writer Gourgen Arzoumanian is the editor of Alishan’s short story collection Free Fall, published after his death, by Mazda Publishers, and the translator of his short stories to Armenian Azad Angum. He is the author of two Armenian books of poetry Apricot Shine and In the Intersections. He is the editor of Bats Namak, a Glendale-based Armenian Literary Journal. He is also editor of Birthmark, a bilingual anthology of Armenian-American Poetry. Arzoumanian’s poetry, short stories, book critiques and translations have appeared in numerous Armenian literary magazines.

Dr. Rubina Peroomian, the author of the article The Restless World of Leonardo Alishan, published in Genocide Studies and Prevention (2006), is a Research Associate at UCLA, where she earned her PhD. in Near Eastern Languages and Cultures. Her publications include,And Those who Continued Living in Turkey after 1915 and Literary Responses to Catastrophe: A Comparison of the Armenian and the Jewish Experience.

Ara Oshagan is a photographer whose work revolves around the intersecting themes of identity, community, and memory. His work is in the permanent collection of the Southeast Museum of Photography, Florida; the Downey Museum of Art, California; and the Museum of Modern Art in Armenia.

For more information please contact Elizabeth Grigorian at egrigorian@ci.glendale.ca.us or call (818) 548-3288

Through a Dewdrop, Birthmark, Azad Angum & Free Fall will be available for purchase during the event.