Eleven years and growing...

Today is the 11th anniversary of the Armenian Poetry Project. We will celebrate it as we often do, quietly, reading poetry and happy to have achieved a few key points. 

We remain the only website providing audio and text RSS feeds of poems written by Armenians, as well as contemporary authors on Armenian subject matters. 

We continue providing all internet surfers free access to the webpage and audio downloads 24/7/365 via RSS, Twitter and iTunes.

We invite you to join our readers in celebrating APP's broad spectrum
 - independent research of the best Armenian poetry we can find  
- gems by authors from the 19th century to the present
- introduction to out of print books, periodicals and digitized archives
- an index by authors and countries
- experimental works by contemporary authors
- introduction of budding authors, including the APP/ASA poetry competition winners, now in its 7th year
- different languages of expression, mostly Armenian, English or French, with translations provided whenever possible

This project is curated and produced by Lola Koundakjian in New York. To contact APP, send an email to: ArmenianPoetryProject[at]gmail[dot]com.

If YOU ENJOY this website, please consider making a donation via Paypal.com by clicking on the button below. Your donations help maintain the audio website, buy books and replace equipment for the recordings as well as research in libraries. 

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AARON POOCHIGIAN's SONG: GO AND DO IT

Leap Niagara, ask a Mountie
where they keep the joie de vivre,
then cruise down to Orange County,
surf the curl and smoke some reefer.
Ride class fives in the Cascades,
water-ski the Everglades,
. . . .go, go, go
. . . .until you know
precisely where the Good Times flow.

Hitchhike through the heartland, travel
wide, acquire a taste for tillage.
Where the asphalt turns to gravel
settle down in some quaint village—
cloudy, clear or partly sunny,
your new Land of Milk and Honey
. . . .will appear
. . . .much like here
but less suburban, more sincere.

Search through endless desert places
for the perfect little spot.
When at last some plush oasis
tallies with the spa you sought,
think of me and write a letter
gloating over how much better
. . . .life is there—
. . . .I’ll still swear
we could be happy anywhere.

This poem has appeared in Autumn Sky Poetry Daily

Reminder: Our annual poetry writing competition ends soon

As in the past six years, the ASA, Inc. is partnering the Armenian Poetry Project for the writing competition named in honor of the late Arthur Halvajian. The 2017 competition is now open and the deadline for submissions is April 30. The competition winners will be announced by the jury in May 2017.

All individuals of Armenian descent, residing in the United States and Canada are invited to submit their work in English or Armenian for the competition. Entries should be e-mailed by April 30, 2017 to ArmenianPoetryProject@gmail.com with the subject heading “Halvajian ASA/APP Poetry competition”. Only one original unpublished poem per individual may be submitted.

The competition groups submissions into three categories: students (ages 12-17), college age (ages 18-22), and adult (ages 23 and older). A top prize will be awarded for each of the categories in the amounts of US $75 (students), $125 (college age), and $300 (adult).

Each poem submitted for the competition must be accompanied by the author’s full name, age, and home address/telephone number. Students must include school name and sponsoring teacher’s telephone number. You can learn more about the Armenian Poetry Project by visiting http://armenian-poetry.blogspot.com.

Փանոս Ճերանեան։ Քամի

Click to hear the audio segment.

Պատանեկան տարիներուս
Օր մը ինծի սիրոյ մասին շշնջացիր
Եւ շուտափոյթ հեռացար
Ըսէ, հիմա ծիածանի ո՞ր մէկ կողմը
Քեզ փնտրեմ
Այդ երբեմնի շշուկդ ջերմ
Կրկին անգամ
լսելու …


***



Սէր իմ
արեւը մայր կը մտնէ ամէն օր,
Օրը կը մթագնի ամէն օր,
Դուն կը մնաս գիշեր-ցերեկ ամէն օր։





Փանոս Ճերանեան Մոնրէալ
Այս բանաստեղծութիւնը լոյս տեսած է ՄԱՐՄԱՐԱ թերթին 16 Մարտ 2017 թիւին մէջ

Արտասանական Մրցոյթ՝ Թորոնթոյի Հայ Կեդրոնին մէջ ( Armenian Community Centre)

ԹԱՄԱՐ ՏՕՆԱՊԵՏԵԱՆ-ԳՈՒԶՈՒԵԱՆ։ Գիշե՛ր Բարի, Մարիա՛մ…

Ներշնչուած` «Լոսթ պըրտզ» ժապաւէնէն

Արեւը իր հրեղէն շունչը փչեց դէպ՛ երկինք,
Ու կարմիր շղարշը նետեց լեռներու ետին։
Դաշտերուն մէջ, զեփիւռը քնքուշ`
Ցորեանները մեղմ օրօրելով,
Թռչնակի չուերթին հետ օրուան հրաժեշտը տուաւ։

Գիշե՛ր բարի, Մարիա՛մ.
Գոցէ աչքերդ փայլուն. թող մանուկ հոգիդ ճախրէ՜ անկաշկանդ
Դէպի երազդ ծաղկաւէտ, ուր իշխան-իշխանուհի,
Ձեռք ձեռքի տուած` արեւի պայծառ շողերուն ներքեւ,
Թիթեռներուն հետ կ՛երգեն գարունքը մեր աշխարհի։

Քուն եղիր, Մարիա՛մ.
Սիրասուն գլուխդ հանգչեցուր քարեղէն բարձին,
Թող հոգւոյդ մէջ իջնէ շողը աստղերուն
Ու գրկէ տանի քեզ այս քար աշխարհէն,
Դէպի մանկութեան ծոցը լուսեղէն։

Տանի այն դղեակը գունագեղ,
Ուր չկա՜ն չար հողմեր, չկա՜ն ագռաւներ…
Կայ միայն օրհնա՜նք.
Կան աստուածային բոյրը տաք հացին,
Մօր քնքշանքն ու կենսուրախ այտեր ջերմագին։

Տանի հո՜ն` ուր կը լսուին խինդ ու ծիծաղ,
Ուր կապոյտ թռչնակի թաւիշը կը շոյէ դէմքդ գողտրիկ.
Ձեռքդ տուր, Մարիա՛մ,
Ձեռքդ տուր, վազենք դէպի ծիածանը մեր հոգւոյն,
Վազենք դէպի տո՜ւն։

Թորոնթօ

Այս բանաստեղծութիւնը լոյս տեսած է ԱԶԴԱԿ-ի մէջ։ http://www.aztagdaily.com/archives/332580

Alice Christy: Last Cry of the Duduk

In memory of Serpouhi Kenjosian

Once it is right, it writes its own;
when it is red, it is read wrong.
Once it is written, leave it alone;
when it is read, pray, hum along.

When it is red, it is read wrong;
(I chose music with sorrow's tone…)
when it is read, pray, hum along.
(…to it paired movement, stone on stone.)

I chose music with sorrow's tone,
and danced I, for your days bygone.
To it, paired movement–stone on stone–
so dance I, for my tomorrow’s dawn.

And danced I, for your days bygone,
for a duduk’s cry haunts soul with poem…
So dance I, for my tomorrow’s dawn.
Pray, Fate, drink not the ancient’s Jeroboam.

For a duduk’s cry haunts soul with poem.
(Once it is written, leave it alone.)
Pray, Fate, drink not the Ancient’s Jeroboam.
(Once it is right, it writes its own.)

Alice Christy is the poetry pseudonym of writer Bethel Swift whose great-grandmother, Sarah Nahabedian, was a survivor of the Armenian Genocides. Though much of her story remains untold, what is known is that Sarah came to the U.S. shortly after surviving a long desert march in which she lost her mother and young child (her first husband was also killed). Her second husband, Pilos Kenjosian, sent money for her passage because he wanted to rescue a woman from his home country. They married and named their oldest daughter Serpouhi. When she was small, her father would rock her to sleep weeping for his murdered relatives, and crying, "Oh Mayrig, Mayrig...". Because of this, Serpouhi became known as "Mary" instead.

The poet's grandmother, Serpouhi "Mary" Kenjosian

Alice Christy

Celebrating National Poetry Month

Established in 1996 by the Academy of American Poets (NYC), the occasion represents an opportunity for poets and poetry lovers of all persuasions to express their love of verse.