Standing on the Moon: The Lyrical Imagination
Though there has always been a connection between songwriting and literature, the consideration of the former as the latter still comes as a surprise to some. In his acceptance speech for the 2016 Nobel Prize in Literature, Bob Dylan wrote, “If someone had ever told me that I had the slightest chance of winning the Nobel Prize, I would have to think that I’d have about the same odds as standing on the moon.”
The International Armenian Literary Alliance is pleased to invite you to Standing on the Moon: The Lyrical Imagination, a virtual event that explores the intersection between lyric writing and literature through performance and conversation.
The event will feature Sima Cunningham in conversation with Alan Semerdjian and take place on Sunday, August 18th, at 9:00 AM Pacific | 12:00 PM Eastern | 8:00 PM Armenia Time. Watch the recording.
Sima Cunningham is Chicago-based musician, songwriter, producer, presenter, and a founding member of Chicago’s art-rock band, Finom. Finom has been celebrated as “the heart of the Chicago music community.” They have released three records including the acclaimed LPs, Parts (2018), Fantasize Your Ghost (2020), and Not God (2024) with Joyful Noise Recordings. The band has been featured on NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert, Pitchfork, Paste, Chicago Tribune, Spin, Interview, and Rolling Stone and was recently commissioned to write and perform a piece with the Pacific Northwest Ballet and Orchestra in Seattle. Her solo record, High Roller, will be released in August 2024 on Ruination Records. Over the past 15 years she has worked as a recording and touring musician with Jeff Tweedy, Richard Thompson, Iron & Wine, Edith Frost, Chance the Rapper, Twin Peaks, and been featured on multitudes of records.
An Armenian-American artist and descendent of genocide survivors, she has focused much of her work on building connections and healing divides through music. Over the last ten years, she has traveled to Armenia and the Caucasus to perform, participate in workshops, and foster creative cross-cultural opportunities between artists in Armenia and the United States. Her work as an artist-presenter includes founding a small music festival, Postock, that will celebrate its 16th year in 2024; curating and hosting the I Hear Voices series in Chicago at Constellation; and working as a lead organizer for the Pitchfork Music Festival.
IALA Advisory Board member Alan Semerdjian will facilitate the discussion. Semerdjian is a writer, musician, and educator. His works include In the Architecture of Bone (GenPop Books, 2009), The Serpent and The Crane (a collaboration of poetry and music with Aram Bajakian), and several collections of critically-acclaimed albums covering a wide range of genres from singer-songwriter to free jazz and alternative rock. He has taught English and Creative Writing in public education for 25 years and is currently the poet laureate of New York’s Nassau County.