Commisioned Writing

Faith in the Human Spirit

 Before I begin, I’d like to take this moment to thank Abril bookstore and Glendale Library for organizing this literary themed event. Sometimes we forget how incredibly important the written word is to our culture. Books and literature are a catalyst for creativity, change and community. And there is no better example than what author Antonia Arslan has accomplished with Skylark Farm.

Due to the success of the book, Skylark Farm has been translated into 20 languages; it was a Los Angeles Times Book Award finalist in 2008; it has been adapted into a film and it has brought us all here this evening.

Author Antonia Arslan is a professor of contemporary Italian Literature at the University of Pauda. She has published studies about popular Italian women writers of the 19^th and 20^th century. As her professional bio states, her most recent publications have focused on her Armenian heritage such as translating Daniel Varujan’s poetry into Italian. Skylark Farm is her first novel.

At first glance, the story in Skylark Farm is about reunion. It’s about two brothers that try to reconnect once again at a summer house referred to as Skylark Farm. One brother, Sempad is a pharmacist living in Anatolia. The other, Yerwant, emigrated to Italy at a young age to study at an Armenian boarding school in Venice. From the first few sentences of the prologue, we learn that Yerwant, is our authors grandfather.

As the Prologue continues, we are introduced to a memory of Antonia Arslan as a small child going to church with her grandfather and by her aunt Henrietta—who is among the few of her family that survived the Armenian genocide. She is a figure of intrigue and carries the author’s family history from the East. Though Henrietta would never tell the story of how she survived, it is through her and memories of her making homemade yogurt or feeling unease around gypsies that our author has recreated the story of the family tree that was denied to thrive. 

But in this absence of family history—as Antonia Arslan tries to write in the gaps—what has replaced this void is the Christian Faith. We see it from the beginning of the novel in the First Part of the story, as Uncle Sempad uses his medical resources to help cure his Greek neighbors’ child from illness. Or how his wife Shushanig never failed to give alms to the poor such as Nazim, the Turkish beggar.

In fact, what is interesting about Skylark Farm that separates the story from other genocide related memoirs, is how Faith—in both the religious and general sense—is central to the storyline. Most novels or memoirs sometimes mention Christianity as the reason for the genocide but in this story, being a Christian was a way of life. The family members in Skylark farm—as our author presents them—didn’t just practice Christianity, they lived it by following a set of values based on the inherit goodness of people.

It is at Skylark Farm where the family’s fate takes a dreadful turn. There is a moment, when the family, joined by friends, tries to stave off the impending doom by enjoying an evening at the summer home, when they are abruptly interrupted by Turkish soldiers. It’s one of many poignant scenes where Antonia Arslan has adeptly constructed a microcosm of what was occurring on a larger scale. But beyond this, the characters portrayed in this book are motivated to act from this basic set of values: From the self-less Armenian who saves his Greek friend, to the devout Turkish colonel who gives his neighbors a proper burial, both actions stem from their respective moral compass. 

Another poignant scene that exemplifies this sense of Faith is seen in Part Two. To paraphrase the scene without giving too much away: Shushanig and her family are braving the march. From a distant field, their friends Issac and Isemne, (who are Greek) and Nazim, (the Turkish beggar) can only watch as the procession of deportees go by and they weep for Shushanig and her family. Antonia Arslan orchestrates this moment so well, by shedding pretenses and divisions such as creed, culture or background, to reveals their own suffering.

In reading genocide related memoirs or stories, we tend to neglect the perspective of those who watched helplessly as their friends and neighbors were sent to their deaths. The suffering was shared, even though the wounds are still raw at one end.  

And, within the subtext of this particular scene the true nature of people surfaces. The inherit goodness in all is what drives Isaac, Isemne and Nazim to save Shushanig and the rest of the family. 

Over all, perhaps the author’s purpose with the book was to honor her family by giving them a history since they were denied a future. Or perhaps it was the author’s intention to use this story to convey that even at their worst one can hope to find a kernel good in each other. 

Intro to Adrienne Barbeau: 

Good Evening and thank you all for joining us tonight for our event with Adrienne Barbeau. Some of you may know Ms. Barbeau as the actress from the hit comedy show: Maude, where she played Maude’s daughter Carol. But I bet there are a few things you might not know about our talented guest and her eclectic career:

·      Adrienne Barbeau made her Broadway debut as Tevye’s second daughter, Hodel, in Fiddler on the Roof.

·      Movie fans know her best for her performances in The Fog, Escape From New York, Creepsho &, Swamp Thing

·      Off camera, Adrienne was the voice of Catwoman in Batman, The Animated Series – A personal fav. Discovery

Last but not least she the author of the best-selling memoir There Are Worse Things I Could Do; and her most recent title, the follow-up to Vampyres of Hollywood, Love Bites.

Love Bites centers around Ovsanna Moore Garabedian a savvy, sexy 400 years old Armenian vampire, who runs one of the biggest horror production companies in all of Hollywood. The story moves quickly, with unexpected plot twists and fantastical turns as we see our vampire Heroine is plagued by the paparazzi and ex-lovers, hunted down by werewolfs, and a rougarou all in the midst of trying to start a relationship with someone she really likes.

From the Broadway Stage to our bookstore on Broadway, Adrienne Barbeau has dipped her creative quills her vast pool of experience in the dramatic arts to give us a story filled with action-packed adventure, horrifically fantastical creatures and Armenian vampires.

Before I turn the floor over to our guest,

 When we first received the book, Arno and I decided to slip it into our book club line up at the very last minute. I knew some of our readers were unsure about it, but it turned out to be a refreshing change of pace from what we’ve been reading. I think as a culture we take books and their subjects matter so seriously sometimes, that we get lost in the heavyiness. We forget that books can be read just for fun. It can be a nice retreat from our daily lives. Sometimes reading books can be an enjoyable experience and I hope you find this one as much fun as I did.

 

iPhone App Descriptive Text

Armenian Monument Info Page:

To understand the depth of the atrocities inflicted on the Armenian people one must understand the political and religious circumstances that lead to the Genocide of 1915.

Armenia adopted Christianity in 301 A.D and since then the religion has had a big role in shaping the culture, identity and served as a distinguishing marker separating them from immediate neighbors. Among one of them being the Turks.

In the early 19th century, the Ottoman Empire was formed consisting of different ethnic groups. Armenians who lived within the empire were considered second-class citizens. Even though they were allowed to practice Christianity they were heavily taxed, faced constant discrimination and were denied basic rights.

However as the mid-1800’s approached Armenians began to demand more civil liberties and protection. In a short time, political hostility was increasing within the Ottoman Empire. Despite promises of more rights for Ottoman Armenians, injustices continued leaving masses of Armenians in outrage and protest. The Sultan in charge responded by massacring them as punishment.

The first wave of massacres began in the late 19th century under Abdul-Hamid II. The worst of these atrocities, known as the Hamidian Massacres, occurred after a tax protest. Nonetheless, the Massacres did not go unnoticed. The savage crimes caught the world’s attention and were widely publicized in newspapers all over the world, including the New York Times, which regularly published articles about the horror inflicted on the Armenians.

There was a brief moment in 1908 when it seemed minorities would be granted involvement in government affairs. But that slight hope was short lived when Hamidian supporters in the city of Adana restarted the cycle killings in an attempt to reestablish the power of the Sultan. Armenians heavily populated Adana and despite a brave resistance 30,000 of them were brutally killed.

After the events of 1908 a movement towards strong nationalism was gaining momentum in Turkey. In three short years the radical political group seized the opportunity to eradicate all Armenian presence from Ottoman territory while the rest of the world was pre-occupied with World War I. On April 24th, 1915 Armenian civil leaders, intellectuals and community leaders were rounded up and publicly hung.

Once these influential members of the community were removed, the plan for Genocide was put into motion. Armenians were persecuted; women and children were loaded onto trains headed for the Syrian Desert where they were forced to march until their deaths.

The Turks had, systematically murdered 1.5 Million Armenians, more than half of the population at the time. By 1918, Armenians who survived the genocide were strewn into the Diaspora, scatterd all over the world.

Every year on April 24, Armenians around the world gather to commemorate those who were unjustly killed. Your donations through this app will go directly to raise funds for a memorial monument and education center to be constructed in Glendale, California where most of the Armenian Diaspora is located.

The recognition of the Armenian Genocide of 1915 is crucial in order to bring light to genocides going on right now, e.g., Iraq (nearly 1.5 million dead), Afghanistan (50,000 dead), Darfur (over 400,000 people have been killed), Congo (2.7 million have died since 2004).

Recognition brings harmony among people. It lays the foundation to lasting peace.

Through the World of Song

One unique way:

It begins with a single note. A note that does not allude to soft harmonies, instead it begins a series of buzzing that is the sound of war. In the late 80’s Tarpinian witnessed the destruction of Lebanon, a country he called home, that left his loved ones and fellow Armenians dispersed around the world. Disturbed by the distance Tarpinian set the course to connect them the only way he knew how: through music. Tarpinian emigrated to Paris where he recorded his first album, HARTAR. The record struck a deep chord throughout the Diaspora. The combination of Western instrumentation and arrangements, while keeping the original melodies of these beloved folk songs reflected the Armenian peoples situation at the time. The Diaspora was living among the western countries longing for their homes. It was both nostalgic and bittersweet.

And yet the response was remarkable. Communities from all over the world were drawn to the album and the new interpretations of these almost forgotten songs. He traveled all over the world performing for the Armenian Diaspora, bringing them a little bit of home and the familiar.But for Tarpinian, this was the beginning of a new path. Tarpinian decided to dedicate his life to the craft and art of song.

A New Journey:
On this new journey, Tarpinian was introduced to highly accomplished pianist and composer Patrice Peyrieras. Peyrieras, has worked with internationally known performers and entertainers such as Diana Ross, Michel Legrand, Barbara, Gerard Depardieu, & Charles Aznavour to only name a few. Together they collaborated on several albums, consisting of full orchestration and original composition and arrangements by both Tarpinian and Peyrieras. It was here that Tarpinian matured musically and defined what is known to be his signature style: pure voice. Since HARTAR, Tarpinian has produced 6 albums of his solo work‐‐ a culmination of traditional Armenian songs‐‐ to date and self funded. Truly a labor of love. 

Recently this year, Tarpinian was invited to perform a concert in Los Angeles, one of the largest Armenian Diaspora communities. Tarpinian was asked to sing along with a line up of young talented Armenian musicians. The event inspired the veteran of song to incorporate a youth element into his next project, NORTAR also the title of his next album.

In this new ensemble Tarpinian includes two young vocalists: his daughter Vaughnig and his protégé Vasken.

“They show me by working seriously on the songs and the language that the journey continues in every corner of the world, keeping Armenian culture and art, warm like a homemade fire. Wings, manage to sing calmly, preparing the bouquet to offer you these songs,” says Tarpinian.

In addition to the two voices, Tarpianin has expanded his troupe of musicians by two guitars and an up right bass, to accompany Patrice Peyrieras on piano.

“Inspiration comes from coordinated words. Harmonized words with velvet voices.It is a painting of two guitars, one piano, one double bass, two choirs and one voice.”

Vicken Tarpinian

Born in Beirut in 1951, TARPINIAN has spent an entire lifetime performing invarious plays or music productions, consistently refining his artistic skills. His diligence and devotion to music has shined through all over the Armenian communities in Europe, but has been especially embraced by the Diaspora in France and in Lebanon. At the height of his artistic endeavors in the lat 80’s, political turmoil struck his home, family and friends in Lebanon. Deeply affected by the war torn country Tarpinian emigrated back to Paris where he recorded his first album, HARTAR. 

Many people in the Diaspora took to the record immediately, feeling the sentiments expressed in these old Armenian Standard. Tarpinian, transformed these beloved songs, rearranging the instrumentation to reflect a western sensibility while keeping the authenticity of the original melody. Moreover, his crisp and clear voice also attributed to the success of the album and has since been considered one of the beloved voices of our generation.

Tallulah Sound Experiment

*Tallulah: [tuh-loo-luh] noun. 1. a Choctaw name, meaning “leaping waters” 2.a town in NE Louisiana, pop: 10,392. 3.Tallulah is the name given to the bobsled in the 1993 comedy film  "Cool Runnings" (Neither Soseh, Sona, Zare, Mher or Aram are named Tallulah) 

Sound:waves that break traditional instrumentations: surging on songwriting based on folk music with percussive grit. Vocals that softly flow over the steady stream of beats, flavored with melodies inspired from music all over the world: leaping from Lila Downs, to Radiohead to Lhasa De Sala to Red Hot Chili Peppers.



Experiment: In the Fall of 2002 a group of scientists found themselves in an alternate universe called Songs and Flight. There, they were musicians. Confused, the group of scientists said that they were not musically inclined, not any one of them. 

“Actually, that’s not true,” said, Aram Dellalian , one of the scientist who was tall and slender, “I play, uh, play bass.”

The scientists were then given strange and unfamiliar objects and were asked to use them properly. The scientist banded together to study these objects and formulate a plan of escape. Surely their friends and family would notice their absence and report them missing.

“Let’s do the best we can and get out of here!” said Soseh Keshishyan, the wise one and held the object that amplified her voice. Taking the wise one’s lead Zare Manoukian began to strum, Mher Ajanian banged, Aram played and Sona Aleksanyan bow-ed.
 
Aha! To their amazement, they made music!

Now this group of Scientist travel from one parallel universe to the next, making their way through music, hoping each time that the next one they enter will be their home.

Carlitos Gardel’s

In a town where fads, trends, and the latest diet change by the hour this family owned and run establishment has been around for over a decade and has been able to keep a low profile among the flash in the pan chefs and eateries in the city. Carlitos Gardel’s has withstood them all as being the Argentine Steakhouse and Restaurant in Los Angeles.

That’s because Carlitos is authentically Argentine and all class. Carlitos takes you back to a time when great restaurants were known for their impeccable service and quality dishes. From the family to the staff everyone who serves at Carlitos know about the foods they serve and the wine they carry.

With its vintage charm and warm inviting setting, even high profile celebrities can’t resist spending their evenings there, enjoying a succulent steak paired with the finest wine. Even the restaurants regulars, who know good food and are experienced diners, come back to Carlitos for its intimate ambiance, organic gourmet entrees as well as an impressive collection of Italian and Argentine wines.
Carlitos offers the wine connoisseur an extensive list of Verticals and Malbec, and Malbec based blends. With two certified sommeliers in house who have thorough knowledge of all their wines. These two brothers will help you find the right wine to accompany your tender steak.

Afterwards, for desert, there is nothing like mom’s handcrafted cakes and pastries to top off the evening! Carlitos Gardels: where authentic Argentine flavors will leave a memorable taste on the palette and a night to remember...

Aris Janigian Introduction:

I would like to thank everyone who is here tonight. Of all the things you could be doing on your Thursday evening, to come here and support literary events such as this one is greatly appreciated.I’m not going to stand here and give you a 20 min. spiel on who wonderful the book is, because I’d rather you discover that for your selves. I’ll just say a few words so we can jump right into the book and be immersed. It gives me great pleasure to introduce to you Aris Janigian. 

Aris Janigian co-edited two issues of ARARAT; he was a contributing writer to West, the LA Times Sunday Magazine: won the Anahid Literary Award from Columbia University: and wrote an op-ed article for the Warsaw Gazetta was instrumental in getting Poland to adopt a genocide resolution.

I was first introduced to Aris Janigian’s writing when I was asked to write a book review for his title Bloodvine. The story revolves around what happens between two brothers and the piece of land. The narrator goes back into his father’s past to piece together the series of events that leads to the great chasm between these brothers and everyone who had a hand in creating it. 

What is fascinating about this story are the characters that surround Andy, short for Andranick. Andy is a first-generation Armenian- American. His character teeters between the world of the odars, the non-Armenian, and that of his people. Though he is invested in his community and church, compared to the rest of his family he is progressive in his thinking. Riverbig, the sequel to Bloodvine, is the continuation of that story. Where Bloodvine focused on Andy’s Armenian world, here in RIVERBIG the narrative perspective rests its gaze on the odar/other world. We see another setting that Andy inhibits as he tries to make an honest living in an otherwise corrupt surroundings. 

Throughout the novel, we find Andy constantly running up against walls with every venture he pursues. And with every endeavor he overcomes his obstacles and does so with a relentless work ethic that’s been instilled in him by his culture. When he has a moment to pause from his day-to-day life and reflect we get a glimpse of the troubling thoughts he carries within him. These deep physiological issues surface and swell up from time to time and we find Andy struggling to reconcile them as he tries to move forward and make a better life for his family.  

Underneath the gritty exterior of this farmer, we find Andy conflicted with troubling issues that haunt and follow him throughout the story:

• There are the unresolved issues with his family, his brother who betrayed him.
• The element or sense of belonging in this odar/other world. How to fit in?
• And also the burden of carrying cultures anguish at the injustices they’ve suffered through.

Within this internal tension, Aris Janigian, raises not only questions but also the complexity of the Diasporas psyche. In our community we face the same challenges not only learning how to balance between these two sets of worlds we occupy, but also working through the problems they present. And in this way the novel, Riverbig, takes on another dimension making Andy a study of the American-Armenian mind, A study of the Armenian Identity.

How can we as, a community, as a people, move forward and exists with the rest of the world when we have so much holding us back? What becomes of us when the culture we inherit becomes a burden rather than just a part of who we are?

These are the bold and daring questions that surface quietly in Riverbig. And these are the types of questions that need to be addressed as individuals, as a community and as a culture. This is why authors like Aris Janigian’s are so vital because they expose and explore trends in our community and culture that we may not even be aware of.  It takes a brave voice to bring these issues to light in the hopes of progressing strongly into the future.

The Historical Make Up of Universal Codes 

The first concrete forms of communication were markings on cave walls, on mountainsides and perhaps even scratched in the dirt. Overtime these figures became symbols that were commonly used to denote certain objects, like characters. As the people of a region developed and a sense of cohesiveness began to settle amongst them, which can be attributed to early signs of a culture, these common characters, or Symbols, developed and sophisticated with them into letters of an alphabet. But no matter how these Symbols matured, there has been on specific figure that has remained constants and steadfast to the meaning assigned to it. Even though throughout the centuries it has undergone some slight changes in design, these moderations serve to enhance it’s meaning and also shows the timeline of the evolution of people.

The circular Symbol is a shape that not only exists in nature but is also found in cultures all over the world. When people discovered that the Earth was made of four components: Earth, Water, Air and Fire, they re-designed the Symbol by dissecting it into quarters to represent these four elements. This Symbol marks a level of understanding people came to and incorporated it into their culture in one way or another, from Eskimos to Africa. Cultures used this Symbol to represent the birth of creation: the four elements coming together to create the world. This is how they understood the universe they lived in.

When people began to study these elements, testing their behavior, they understood how malleable and fluid these worldly components were. They came to realize these elements were not stagnant but they had motion and momentum. They revolved with the Earth. And so, the figure was re-drawn to represent how these elements operate. The Symbol was then enhanced once again, only this time with a slightest hint of a curve to express the motion of these elements replacing the stiff straight lines from the previous design. This new Symbol was then balanced by fusing it with a mirror image (as seen in Fig. 3), creating an entirely new Symbol closely resembling the double helix. At the time, the Symbol, accurately displaying the movements of these four essential components. The new composition of the Symbol illustrates the energies of Earth, Water, Air and Fire in motion.

By noticing similar figures in present day cultures, we can see how this primitive, but universal code, has linked the people of the world together no matter how their cultures might have splintered or fractioned them. Take what is known as the Dharma Wheel found in Buddhist cultures. The figure closely resembles the shape of the Ying and Yang. Upon closer inspection, one will notice, as the curved lines intersect in the middle, the center takes the shape that closely resembles a swastika. The same shape can be found in Ancient Greek décor as well as in present day carpet designs made in Artstakh. Throughout the centuries, this one Symbol has been able to unify all of humanity under its meaning. It has brought cultures together who otherwise might have seemed drastically apart. This one Universal Code has been able to bring the world together.