🌟 Member Spotlight: Melineh Yemenidjian 🌟 From publishing her debut poetry collection, The Split Pomegranate (available on our Bookshop.org storefront 😉), to becoming nominated for a Pushcart Prize, Melineh shines from every angle. Check out her book: bit.ly/4b2mLh1

Mountains on Fire by Aram Yardumian is a noir thriller grounded in the historical facts of the Nagorno-Karabakh War, when a journalist starts questioning the supposed high treason and execution of two decorated war heroes. Learn more: bit.ly/4uJfMAH

📣 Call for Submissions! A new initiative founded by IALA advisory board member Raffi Wartanian, Quarter Tone Poets is seeking submissions for its forthcoming poetry anthology and contest! 🗓️ Deadline: July 1, 2026 🔗 Learn more: quartertonepoets.org/anthologycontest

"Zilelian’s attention to incongruity enables her to skillfully limn the American immigrant experience." Check out this review of IALA board member Aida Zilelian's poetry collection, Dissonance, by IALA member Sean Casey, published in @markaz-review.bsky.social. Read it here: bit.ly/4oxrf4Y

In a remote Soviet Armenian village, baby Ruzan is found abandoned and taken in by the local fearcatcher—a woman both revered and feared. 🌌 Learn more about Naira Kuzmich's posthumous novel, Fearcatcher, at our next Literary Lights 2026 event this SUNDAY, June 14th! ⏰ Register: bit.ly/49AB6ke

Have you booked your spot? ⏰ Don't forget to join us on Sunday for our next Literary Lights 2026 event featuring Naira Kuzmich's posthumous novel, Fearcatcher! Vedran Husić, author and Kuzmich’s former partner, will be joined by writers Aram Mrjoian and Chelsey Shannon. Register: bit.ly/49AB6ke

Labas? 👋 Take a walk through the streets of Casablanca in the 1950s and beyond by reading IALA 2025 mentee E.C. Salibian's latest essay, "Hello Means Goodbye," in Arrowsmith Press's online journal. Read it here: bit.ly/4okkbby

A few of our members have gotten their work published in Hyebred Magazine's 14th issue! 🙌 From a short story by Anna Matevosyan, to poetry by Elise Youssoufian and René Zadoorian, to a review of Celeste Nazeli Snowber's book, this issue has everything. ✍ Read here: hyebredmag.com

Mark your calendars! 🗓️ Join us June 14th for our next Literary Lights event featuring Naira Kuzmich's posthumous novel, Fearcatcher. Vedran Husić, author and Kuzmich’s former partner, will be joined by writers and editors Aram Mrjoian and Chelsey Kimberly Shannon. 🔗 Register here: bit.ly/49AB6ke

"What if I say I want this poem to bless / you, the reader. Will you take it? Will // you trust that it, line by line, truly / means to protest harm, means well?" Check out IALA advisory board member Lory Bedikian's poem, "My Son Rests His Cheek on the Wrecked Car": bit.ly/4xf5ElR

Join us for the next installment of Literary Lights 2026 featuring Naira Kuzmich’s posthumous debut novel, Fearcatcher! 🌟 Vedran Husić, author and Kuzmich’s former partner, will be joined by writers and editors Aram Mrjoian and Chelsey Shannon on June 14 at 10:00 AM PT. 🔗 Register: bit.ly/49AB6ke

Last chance! 🚨 Don't forget to register for our Sarkisian Workshop Series event with Moheb Soliman happening TOMORROW! This is a great opportunity to explore one's relationship with the changing environment through poetry and writing. 🔗 Book your spot: bit.ly/4u5BQ9m

Curious about our upcoming Sarkisian Workshop Series event featuring poet Moheb Soliman? ✨️ You can learn more about the workshop and how readers will explore nature, environmental collapse, and poetry in this article published in Armenian Weekly! Read it here: bit.ly/4dZFKtB

Ever wonder what our grant winners are up to? IALA 2024 Israelyan English Translation Grant winners Taline Voskeritchian and Christopher Millis recently published a translation of Three Poems by Krikor Beledian in the New Verse Review! Check it out: bit.ly/4dp7vN6

How can poetry accurately capture our relationship with a world fraught with threats of environmental collapse? Explore this question on May 31 at the next installment of the Sarkisian Workshop Series: Nature, Poetry, and Environmental Collapse with Moheb Soliman! Register: bit.ly/4u5BQ9m

A poetic journey through the past of the Roman Empress Agrippina looks toward the future. Agrippina the Younger by @dianaarterian.bsky.social follows one woman’s study of another, separated by thousands of miles and two millennia but bound by a shared sense of powerlessness. More 👉 bit.ly/4umKQqt

Missed our recent Literary Lights 2026 event with the Editor and Contributors of the incredible anthology, Remain in Light? Don't worry, we've got you covered! 🌟 🎬 You can now watch a full recording of the event on our YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/watch?v=GcjR...

Check out the newest issue coming from IALA advisory board member Garen Torikian's brainchild, Inch Press. Issue #3 will feature A Laconic Man: Dikran Yusufian, written by Hagop Baronian and translated by Hratch Demiurge. ✍ 📖 Learn more 👉 www.inch.press/store/p/issu...

Finish off May with a bang and join us May 31 for the next installment of the Sarkisian Workshop Series: Nature, Poetry, and Environmental Collapse with Moheb Soliman! 🌎 🍃 🔗 Learn more and register: bit.ly/4u5BQ9m

[Հայերենը հղումով] IALA’s Yerevan Chapter, led by Angela Hassassian and Nazareth Seferian, invites you to land between rivers — a bilingual creative writing workshop exploring water as both subject and metaphor. 🌊 Co-facilitated by Nyree Abrahamian and Tatevik Sargsyan. Learn more: bit.ly/4nBR8jm

⏰ Don't forget to join us TOMORROW for our next Literary Lights 2026 event, featuring Remain in Light Editor Gassia Armenian and Contributors Tina Demirdjian, Armine Iknadossian, Arthur Kayzakian, and Raffi Wartanian! Register here: bit.ly/4wys0Oy

If you're in London, don't miss out on this special workshop led by IALA board member Lola Koundakjian happening TOMORROW at the @armenianinstitute.bsky.social. 🗓️ ✍ Book your spot 👉 bit.ly/4wzKRsT

Poets! ⏰ Tomorrow is the final deadline for our 2026 Young Armenian Poets Awards contest. If you're aged 14-18 and starting your poetry journey, you have until 11:59 pm to submit your poems and have your work recognized! Don't miss out on this opportunity. Apply here 👉 bit.ly/3O3NXng

Don't miss out on all of the incredible things IALA has coming up this month! ✨ From our Young Armenian Poets Awards deadline to our Sarkisian Workshop Series event with Moheb Soliman, there's something for everyone! 🌐 You can find out more about each event at armenianliterary.org

Start your Monday off with a little poetry! ✍ Read IALA board member Aida Zilelian's latest poem, "Arakel, 1979," published in the Spring 2026 issue of @westtradereview.bsky.social as part of their Borders & Border Crossings theme. Learn more about this magazine issue here: bit.ly/4uKEdhJ

Read IALA 2023 Creative Writing Grant winner Alexa Luborsky's latest poem, "I didn't apologize to the well," published in the @aaww-nyc.bsky.social magazine, The Margins. ✍ Check it out: bit.ly/4noMuFC

Join us on May 31 for the next Sarkisian Workshop Series event: Nature, Poetry, and Environmental Collapse with Moheb Soliman! ✍️ Explore ecopoetry, environmental writing, and contemporary approaches to nature. 🔗 Learn more & purchase tickets here: bit.ly/4u5BQ9m

Congrats to IALA member N.T. McQueen on the release of his new novel, Never Hide from the Devil! 📖✨ Inspired by a true story during the Armenian Genocide, this coming-of-age story explores courage and impossible choices. 🔗 Find it on our Bookshop storefront: bit.ly/4tY6Jwh

Don't miss this exciting webinar for HyeConnect featuring IALA board member @tatevik.bsky.social and IALA 2025 Israelyan Western Armenian Translation Grant winner Rupen Janbazian! Learn more and register: hyeconnect.org

Join us for the third installment of Literary Lights 2026, featuring the editor and poetry contributors of the landmark anthology, Remain in Light: Visions of Homeland and Diaspora! 🌟 📖 The event will take place on May 17, 2026 at 1:00 PM ET. Learn more and register here: bit.ly/4f0iyNB

⏰ REMINDER! ⏰ Our 2026 Israelyan Translation Grants Info Session is happening tomorrow! This is your chance to ask our judges and team any questions you may have about our three literary translation grants. Register here: bit.ly/4ttUwzf

📢 If you needed more time to submit your work to the 2026 Young Armenian Poets Awards, you’re in luck – the new submission deadline is May 14, 2026! 🙌 ✍️ Learn more and spread the word: bit.ly/3O3NXng

⏳ 3 days left! The deadline for the 2026 Young Armenian Poets Awards contest is almost here. If you’re an Armenian writer ages 14–18, this is your chance to share your poetry and have your work recognized. ✍️ Submit your poem by April 30. Apply here: bit.ly/3O3NXng

Get your daily poetry fix by reading IALA member Tenny Minassian's three powerful poems—Sweet Lemons, Moles, and Grandma’s Tea—published in Azad Archives. Slip into her memories and her experience as an immigrant kid coming to terms with herself and her heritage. 📖 Read here: bit.ly/4cKZcJH

What might the future of Armenianness look like—not just as a nation, but as a culture, language, and identity you are helping shape? 🌎 🇦🇲 This year, the Young Armenian Poets Awards invites Armenian writers ages 14–18 to imagine forward through poetry. Apply by April 30: bit.ly/3O3NXng

Today's date, 24 April, marks Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day. In 2024, we published a special issue on Armenia (Wasafiri 120: Armenia(n)s – Elevation) which shines a light on modern Armenian identities and experiences. To purchase the issue, use code ARMENIA2026 for 20% off. Valid until 30 May.

If you’re interested in applying to one of IALA's 2026 Israelyan Translation grants, but have doubts or questions, come join our virtual info session on May 2, 2026! This is your opportunity to address them directly to our team and judges. 🔗 Register here: bit.ly/4ttUwzf

Join IALA advisory board member and Pulitzer-Prize winning author Peter Balakian at Glendale Central Library on April 30th for a special event. Balakian will read excerpts from his latest poetry collection (and our first Literary Lights 2026 book), New York Trilogy. 📚 🌟 Learn more: bit.ly/4eDa0Mx

Congratulations to Aram Saroyan for the publication of his new book, Before I Forget: A Memoir (and Then Some)! ✨ 📖 📚 Saroyan will be featured in our Literary Lights 2026 reading series (Details TBA)! Learn more and purchase the book here: bit.ly/3OTDsDx

Announcing our 2026 Israelyan English Translation Grant! $3,500 will be awarded to one translator who works from an English source text into Eastern Armenian and demonstrates exceptional creative ability. 🗓️ Application opens Sept 1. Learn more: bit.ly/48SoioM

Announcing our 2026 Israelyan Western Armenian Translation Grant! The 3,500 grant will be awarded to one translator working from a Western Armenian source text into English, showing exceptional creative ability. 🗓️ Application opens Sept 1. Learn more: bit.ly/4vCK8q8

⏰ TOMORROW! ⏰ Join us for the second installment of the Sarkisian Workshop Series: Centering Indigenous Experiences in Climate Narratives with Diane Wilson. ✍️ 🔗 Register here: bit.ly/3PSJowO

Announcing our 2026 Israelyan Eastern Armenian Translation Grant! $3,500 will be awarded to one translator working from an Eastern Armenian source text into English, showing exceptional creative ability. 🗓️ Application opens Sept 1. Learn more & join our info session on May 2, 2026: bit.ly/4dVkira

Reminder: Our next Sarkisian Workshop Series event is coming up this Sunday! ✍️ Join Diane Wilson for a virtual workshop on Indigenous perspectives in climate narratives, exploring the concept of Mitakuye Owasin (“We Are All Related”) through writing prompts. 🔗 Register here: bit.ly/3PSJowO

We are pleased to announce our 2026 Creative Writing Grant! The $2,500 grant will be awarded to one Armenian writer whose in-progress poetry collection shows exceptional literary and creative ability. 🗓️ Application opens Sept 1. Learn more: bit.ly/4dNg44N

Yerevan → LA → NYC → DC 🌍📚 A few snapshots from IALA events over the past couple of months. Thank you to all the writers, readers, and community members who continue to show up and support our mission!

In his latest poem, "How to Erase an Armenian Accent in Junior High," IALA board member Shahe Mankerian takes readers back to their school days when sacrifices had to be made to fit in. 📚 Read it now in @markaz-review.bsky.social: bit.ly/4sDOZod

Step into one of our nation's most tragic chapters through the eyes of Dzvoinar, the protagonist of Rose by the Sea.🌹 Watch the full recording of our Literary Lights 2026 event featuring Rose by the Sea author Rebecca Rose Mooradian! Find it here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajRl...

Are you a teen who loves writing poetry? ✍️ Submit your work to our Young Armenian Poets Awards In Honor of Tamar Asadourian! It’s your chance to share your voice, get your writing out into the world, and connect with other young Armenian writers. 📚 Apply by April 30th: bit.ly/3O3NXng

Congratulations to IALA advisory board member Gregory Djanikian for winning the 2026 Paterson Poetry Prize for his poetry collection, Nostalgia for the Future! ✨ 🏆 Learn more 👉 bit.ly/4tb8sht Interested in the book? You can find it on our Bookshop storefront here: bit.ly/3PYpkt7