Hummus Sexuality is Not Tabbouleh: Love, Laughter, and Drag with Vera Hannush
Speaking with SWANA drag king Vera Hannush is an event filled with lots of laughter, playful absurdity, and enough love to make you forget for a few hilarious moments about all the difficulties that queer SWANA folks face. And then there are the performances… Kristin Anahit Cass: I loved the photos and videos from the […]
The Colliding Identities and Alternate Worlds of Stephany Sanossian
Walking into the 2022 Armenia Art Fair, I could see that each corner, each artist, and each work of art served a specific purpose and added a personalized touch to the 3-day-event. Taking place for the third time, the Armenia Art Fair is a social affair that brings together contemporary artists from Armenia and around […]
19 August 2022 | Hena Aposhian
There’s Nothing More Powerful than Living your Authentic Truth: Interview with Anoush Ellah
Have you experienced a drag performance where the artists are wearing traditional taraz or tatreez costumes? As many people of different SWANA (South West Asia and North Africa or Middle Eastern) backgrounds can attest, our communities aren’t always very accepting of queer folks. In a world where it feels difficult to hold all our identities […]
10 August 2022 | Kristin Anahit Cass
Azad Sparks: Decolonizing Armenian Dance with Natalie Kamajian
This article is part of Azad Sparks: Critical Conversations for the Armenian Community. Azad Sparks is an interview series dedicated to starting transnational conversations on the topics that aren’t often talked about in prevailing Armenian discourse. Here we ask the difficult questions, break the silence on marginalized topics, and build alternative communities. Natalie Kamajian is […]
02 August 2022 | Araxie Cass
Nirvana’s Unwanted Disciples
A post-Soviet factory building in the middle of nowhere. Mind-altering music. Unexpected conversations. In vibrant, immersive prose, Levon Shant Ekmekjian describes his initiation into the Armenian underground music scene.
16 July 2022 | Azad Archives
Book Review: Our Women on the Ground: Essays by Arab Women Reporting from the Arab World
Our Women on the Ground is divided into five parts: “Remembrances”, “Crossfire”, “Resilience”, “Exile”, and “Transition.”. Some feel like an obituary to a beloved husband and even to war. Some feel like letters to the backbones of Iraq, i.e., women, or to the cynical baba –father– who had a hard time accepting his daughter’s career. And many feel like testimonies, filled with guilt…
16 June 2022 | Paula Kjdrian
Connecting Homeland and Diaspora through Learning, Culture, and Friendship
Narek Shamamyan is the founder of the first queer-friendly Armenian language school. A+ Academy is based in Yerevan and connects diasporans around the world with teachers in Armenia, building transnational community through learning.
24 May 2022 | Kristin Anahit Cass