Michael Barakiva is an Armenian-Israeli American who lives in NYC with his husband. His Young Adult novels One Man Guy (FSG 2013) and its stand-alone sequel, Hold My Hand (FSG 2019), are the first YA novels featuring an Armenian protagonist, and a queer Armenian protagonist. His upcoming YA novel, These Precious Stones (FSG 2022) is a contemporary epic fantasy featuring a group of queer international teens tasked with saving the world. www.michaelbarakiva.com
He is a featured panelist/reader at our Aracheneer or “Firsts” Pride 2021 event.
He is also the Founder and Creative Director of Novel Readings (www.novelreadings.com), a company that uses new play development tools to aid novelists develop their work and hosts live readings for companies designed to further social justice and equity/diversity/inclusivity causes.
Other writings include: The Nature of Things (Sloan/EST Project), Paradise Lost, a two-part adaptation for the stage of Milton’s epic poem, commissioned by Red Bull Theatre Company; and Stringy Theory, co-authored with Sarah Braunstein and Amy Boyce Holtcamp.
As a stage director, Michael has worked all over the country and world staging classics and developing new work. He served as the Artistic Director of the Hangar Theatre in Ithaca, NY from 2013-2020.
Speaking engagements: Iowa Governor’s Conference for LGBTQ Youth, Pennsylvania Library Leadership Conference, Brooklyn Book Fair 2019, Tompkins County Library Meet The Author Series, Unbound Book Festival, Spring Writes! Literary Festival, Keats-Shelley Association of America, McNally Jackson Books LGBTQ YA Series, New York Book Expo, and the New Play Development Process.
Awards/Fellowships: Granada Fellowship at UC Davis, spent ten glorious days as an artist in residence at the Bulgaria National Puppet Theatre, presented at the Teatro de Universitario in Mexico City, received a Summer Fellowship and New Director/New Work Grant from the Drama League, is a two-time recipient of the David Merrick Prize in Drama, and founded and serves as Artistic Director of the Upstart Creatures, a theatre ensemble based in NYC dedicated to throwing (meta)physical feasts free to all (www.upstartcreatures.com).
Education: Vassar College, The Juilliard School.
If you’d like to order my books, check out my web page, follow me on insta or find me on twitter.
he/him/his (what’s this?)