This writing update comes to you slightly late, but contains news of books, upcoming events, and possible plans to move near you.
I’m excited and proud to be involved with the publication of Queered: What’s To Be Done With Xcentric Art, a book which documents the activities of Queering Yerevan (formerly WOW) for the past four years, including art and correspondence among a constantly shifting collective of queer-identified Armenian women activists, artists and writers. Read a great review here: http://www.ianyanmag.com/2011/
This summer, I completed five chapters of the first draft of “The Fear of Large and Small Nations”, a nonfiction novel which tells the stories of a marriage to a much younger Armenian man while offering social and political critique of corruption, conformism and social change in the U.S. and Armenia. Hear an excerpt from the new second draft at the Boundless Tales Reading Series, 7:30 pm on December 15 at Waltz-Astoria, 23-14 Ditmars Blvd in Astoria.
Though I’ve been inspired by the Occupy movement here in New York, I’m considering a move to pursue more in-depth work on “The Fear of Large and Small Nations”. I’ve been conducting a nationwide (and overseas) academic job search to find a stable teaching position that will grant more time for writing. Plan B could be teaching English abroad, doing more freelance and editing work and less adjunct teaching here in NYC, and/or cutting down on expenses by living in a tiny house. An article I wrote for Getaway Style inspired the latter option: http://www.getawaystyle.com/
I continued my work with writing on ethnicity, nationality, race, class, sexuality and gender in a topic-based English composition course on Cultural Identity which I designed for students at Queens College; several other professors have been using my course design as a resource for their sections. It’s been enlightening to explore with my students issues of weighing pride against discrimination, and openness against insularity, which I detailed on a personal level in my memoir Me as her again: True Stories of an Armenian Daughter (available through aunt lute books).
As always, thank you for your support. Sending you good energy for peaceful change during this Occupy Fall.
Nancy