Looking Back, Moving Forward: A Note from Our Founder

Dear members, 

The International Armenian Literary Alliance has grown in myriad ways this year: We launched local chapters in Yerevan and New York City, where I had the chance to meet many of our members in person. People spoke of how having an Armenian mentor shaped their writing careers, how receiving our grants impacted their translation projects, and how being part of our community gave them the support and encouragement to forge ahead in their literary endeavors. 

We launched Standing on the Moon, a series on the connections between songwriting and literature. Our mentorship program provided guidance to thirteen emerging writers around the world, and our Young Armenian Poets Awards, renamed in honor of Tamar Asadourian, recognized four writers with exceptional promise. We collaborated with the NAASR and the Zohrab Center to host our second annual Literary Lights series, and awarded $8,500 dollars in grants for poetry and literary translations. 

Our work has never been more important. Censorship is on the rise, as the number of books banned by schools in the United States has soared to a record level. Many efforts to diversify publishing have been abandoned, with a report showing “ethnic minority” representation across the industry in the United Kingdom has declined. As public discourse plunges to new lows, and those in power stoke fear and hate mongering, we must continue celebrating books that make us think, and engage in intellectual and creative debate, as we do in our Literary Lights series. We must continue imagining alternate futures, as we did in this year’s pride event on queer speculative fiction. How do you wish to see the world? What possibilities can you dream up on the page?

Too often ego is rewarded over empathy, and at IALA, we reject that notion, not only by supporting the creation of stories and inviting readers to step into someone else’s shoes and broaden their perspectives, but also by guiding and championing each other. Being a writer is not easy. But we have created a vital support system for our literary community, and when one of us succeeds, we rise together. I say to you what I say to myself: keep writing, keep reading, keep lifting each other up. Show your gratitude to this community and our organization by buying a book (the perfect gift!) through our Bookshop storefront, and donating to our holiday fundraiser.

Thank you to everyone who makes this community possible. 

Olivia Katrandjian

Founder, IALA