PRESS RELEASE
The Busby Group
Scott Busby
[email protected]
310.475.2914
New Armenian-American Author Aida Zilelian Featured at
Burbank and Glendale Bookstore Events This Week
WHAT: Armenian-American author Aida Zilelian, whose first published
novel The Legacy of Lost Things was released to rave reviews last month,
will participate in several arts and cultural events taking place
throughout the Greater Los Angeles Area this week to commemorate the
100th anniversary of the Armenian genocide, including:
· Wednesday, she will be the featured author at a
`Read & Sign’ hosted by Barnes & Noble in Burbank.
· Thursday, she will join other writers, an award-winning
comedic actress and playwright, a multi-instrumental musician and others
for an Armenian-themed literary/cultural event happening at Abril
Bookstore (the Los Angeles area’s largest and best-known
Armenian bookstore) in Glendale. The event is part of the monthly
`Tongue and Groove’ program produced by Conrad Romo that
features short fiction, personal essays, poetry, spoken word and music.
April’s theme is `The Legacy of Lost Things,’ a
commemoration of the community’s losses and a celebration of
Armenian culture and music. The program is free and open to the public.
WHERE/WHEN: Barnes & Noble-Burbank `Read & Sign’
Burbank Town Center
731 N San Fernando Blvd.
Burbank, CA 91502
818-558-1383
Wednesday, April 8
7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Abril Books Literary/Cultural Event
415 E. Broadway, #102
Glendale, CA 91205
818-243-4112
Thursday, April 9
7:30 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.
WHO: Zilelian, a New York writer and English teacher, has been
published in several anthologies and more than 25 literary journals.
Even before acceptance and publication, The Legacy of Lost Things
started attracting national attention. In May 2014, it won the Minas and
Kohar Tölölyan Prize in Contemporary Literature, an annual
award that recognizes and encourages the literary works of talented
writers in North America who are of Armenian ancestry or whose work has
an Armenian theme.
Watch a video Q&A with Zilelian HERE.
WHAT ELSE: In The Legacy of Lost Things – which is available in
all formats online and in bookstores – Zilelian traces three
generations of a family of Armenian immigrants living in Queens, New
York as they struggle with one another and against the Old World
expectations of their community. When Araxi, the oldest daughter of the
desperately unhappy Levon and Tamar, goes missing, the remaining family
members are forced to confront their painful histories together, and the
role each of them has played in driving Araxi away. Through Araxi and
her family, readers are given a unique look at the generational and
cultural tensions that both keep families together and tear them apart.
Aram Saroyan, son of Pulitzer Prize-winning author and dramatist William
Saroyan – and an internationally renowned poet and author in his
own right, describes the author and book thusly: “The Legacy of Lost
Things is a beautifully written and artfully constructed novel that
explores the intimate lives of several generations of an Armenian
immigrant family in America. Aida Zilelian has the superior
novelist’s combination of equanimity and empathy. In
deceptively simple prose, she takes you right to the heart of the
matter.”
Other reviews:
“The Legacy of Lost Things is a page-turning puzzle, a gripping study of
a family of lost souls, burdened by patterns beyond their control, borne
of tradition and decisions made in the blindness of youth. With
unblinking bravery, Aida Zilelian has composed a complex,
exquisitely-crafted story about the reality of violence and the
possibility of redemption.” – Nancy Agabian, award-winning author, Me as
Her Again: True Stories of an Armenian Daughter
Kirkus Reviews calls The Legacy of Lost Things “a lyrical description of
a family’s search for their daughter and for their humanity.”
The Legacy of Lost Things is published by Bleeding Heart Publications, a
new literary publishing house based in Southeast Asia that specializes
in creative non-fiction and fiction for the U.S. market.
###
From: A. Papazian