Showing posts with label 2010 Competition. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2010 Competition. Show all posts

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Simone Akgulian: Roll Call

Alphabetically.
Teacher’s eyes extend down the list,
Where my name rests
Like the foul-smelling flower,
Atop a healthy stem.

Lips part,
Vocal chords vibrate,
And out comes
A mass
Of vowels and consonants.
A tumor of a last name;
Mutation of its former self.

“Did I pronounce that correctly?” they say.

My answer, dear teacher,
Is no,
You did not.
The words from your mouth are
Glass breaking, cars crashing,
Boats docking on New York’s Islands.
My name should not
Make these noises!

It should sound like
Garlic, grapes, and pomegranates.
Skyscraping mountains, wrongfully taken.
And arcs, not boats, brushing against
The stark white peaks
Of the origins of my DNA.

Where’s the growl in your throat?
The smell of budding white roses
Breaking the soil?
Where is the linking of pinkies?
The curling fumes of sweet incense
That breathe culture into my lungs
And pump Tomarza through my veins?

They went where my father’s language went.
With the touching of hand to
Forehead, chest, and shoulders.
With the roll of the tongue,
The hum of the throat
That great grandma brought with her
Leather hard feet
Across razor sharp deserts.
They went with promises of never forgetting.
They came and they went.
Now the only evidence rests
On a wall in New York
And the size of my tea leaf eyes.

So I swallow
The whine of the clarinet
And pounding of kef time,
And say,

“Yes, that’s how it’s pronounced.”


Simone Akgulian won the 2010 Armenian Poetry Project writing competition in the teenager category.

Ashley Merdkhanian: Under My Skin

Like nails on a chalkboard,
infants scream at the top
of their miniscule lungs,
and women relentlessly nag

at their husbands. That’s how
you get me. You manage
to find a way to crawl
under my skin and plant

a bomb that can expand
with your irritating habits
and blow up right in my face.
The aftershock is so easy

to feel, but one that
I can not live without.

Ashley Merdkhanian has received HONORARY MENTION in the 2010 Armenian Poetry Project writing competition in the teenage category.

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Նայիրի Խաչատուրեան: Անանուանելի ինչ որ զգացում

Ի յիշատակ Շուշիի Պապիկին:

Մերթ յուզիչ էր,
Մերթ խաղաղ
- Այդ անանուանելի զգացումը։
Կիզիչ ու բոցավառ էր,
Զուլալ ու պայծառ
- Այդ անանուանելի զգացումը։

Հիացմունքի շող արեւի տակ
Նայում էի պապիկի աչքերին,
Հինաւուրց խուցի մէջ, ժամը իրիկնամուտին,
Խմում էինք թէյը անուշով տաք-տաք։

Նա թարմ դէմք ունէր, զնգուն մի ծիծաղ,
Բայց մարած աչքերում էլ հրդեհ չկար,
Աստղերով էր լի աչքերը պապիկի,
Յոյս էր արտացոլում հայեացքը հայի...

Խօսակցիս խօսքերով տարուած անմոռաց,
Շաղ տուեց մի բուռ արեւահամ յուշեր,
Փոխանցեց լուռ կեանքն իր ապրած,
Երբ յոյսն այսպէս հաւատ էր դարձած։

Տրտմութիւն տիրեց սրտումս փոթորկուած։
Խորհուրդն խորին իր ապրած կեանքի,
Մի պահ լռութեամբ փոխանցուեց ինձի՝
Պապիկի յոյսը լոյս պարգեւ էր ինձ։

Մերթ յուզիչ էր,
Մերթ խաղաղ
- Այդ անանուանելի զգացումը։
Կիզիչ ու բոցավառ էր,
Զուլալ ու պայծառ
- Այդ անանուանելի զգացումը։


Փարիզ
12/09


Nairi Khatchadourian won the 2010 Armenian Poetry Project writing competition in the university age category.

Monday, February 15, 2010

Winners of the 2010 APP Competition

I am happy to report that APP's First Annual Poetry Writing Competition received thirty-nine entries by the January 15th deadline. A week later, ASA board member Alice Movsesian, and APP friends Rachel Goshgarian, PhD, and Silva Ajemian both of New York City, got together to jury the entries. As administrator of the competition, I kept a list of names but identified each entry by a number and category, presenting the names only after the winners were selected.

Teen-age category
Winner: SIMONE AKGULIAN is a 16 year old young lady who attends the Oak Park River Forest High School. She wins this category with her poem “Roll Call”.
Honourable mention to: Ashley Merdkhanian, age 13, who attends the St. Gregory A. & M. Hovsepian School, in California.

College age category
Winner is 20 year old NAIRI KHATCHADOURIAN for her Armenian poem Անանուանելի ինչ որ զգացում. She attends The American University of Paris and is in the U.S. alternate semesters.

23 years and older category
Winner is ALEXANDRA BEZDIKIAN, who hails from SF. Her poem is entitled “Berated”.

I take this opportunity to thank the ASA Board for its sponsorship of the 1st annual APP Poetry writing competition.

Many thanks to all those who participated in the U.S. and Canada. The winning entries will be posted starting today.




Lola Koundakjian, APP Curator and Producer

Alexandra Bezdikian: berated

between my reflex and my resolve to solve the problems that are tearing us apart
is a crevice that divides who we both see ourselves to be from the inside out.
you see cracks unfortified in places i feel strong,
seeing narrow chasms on backs of orgasms that don't belong.

heaven and hell in moments of passion,
sweeping away all that is bad
with the coming of bodies fighting waves of malcontent crashing against sullied souls.

we hold each other taking away the pain of days apart
and try to remember the times when we would kiss and laugh without onslaught or doubt.
just us in love.


Alexandra Bezdikian won the 2010 Armenian Poetry Project writing competition in the "23 years and older" category.

Friday, January 15, 2010

Annual Poetry Competition is now closed

Many thanks to all those who participated in APP's first annual poetry competition.

Winners will be announced in mid-February.


Best regards,

Lola Koundakjian, producer and curator

Monday, November 16, 2009

Our new annual poetry writing competition

The Armenian Poetry Project and the Armenian Students Association, Inc. are proud to announce their new annual poetry writing competition
1. All residents of the U.S. and Canada are invited to submit an Armenian or English poem (Armenian preferred).
2. All entries are to be sent to ArmenianPoetryProject@gmail.com with the subject heading of ASA/APP Poetry competition. Deadline is set for January 15, 2010.
3. A maximum number of 1 submission per poet will be accepted.
4. The three age categories are: teenagers (14-17); college age (18-22) and 23 years and older
5. Prizes in each of the categories are: US$50, $100 and $250.
6. Each poem must to be accompanied by the author’s full name, age, school name, sponsoring teacher’s telephone number, home address and telephone number. For the adult category, you can omit the school information.



The competition is open to individuals with one or more parents with at least partial Armenian heritage

Prizes will be announced in mid-February, 2010.
The Armenian Poetry Project can be accessed at http://armenian-poetry.blogspot.com