Growing up in the Armenian Apostolic Church was a sensory delight, with its flickering candles, rich colors, sparkling gold, and the sonorous chanting of priests and songs of the choir – all shrouded in incense, ritual, and mystery. So powerful are these memories that it felt only natural to turn to this heritage to find […]

07 February 2024 | Melissa Rodgers

Probably the most frequent and difficult questions I’ve been asked are about where I’m from… I have an indefinable accent, a name that’s hard to pronounce and I look white, but not ‘white enough’ for some people in the city where I live (Montreal, Canada). My identity is always a  little astray from the categories […]

14 November 2023 | Yon Nersessian

After nine months of an illegal and deadly blockade, Azerbaijan launched major attacks against Artsakh, bombing civilian targets and forcing residents to flee their homes. The Artsakh government and army have been disbanded, the entire territory surrendered, thousands are dead or missing, and the rest are trying to flee, not knowing if they will make […]

28 September 2023 | Azad Archives

by Hailey Eisman and Araxie Cass While folk practices are often associated with the past and older ways of life, elements of folk magic are easy to spot in modern Armenian communities across the globe. The nazar, or evil eye, is a ubiquitous symbol in art, clothing, jewelry, and decoration. In addition, recent years have […]

23 July 2023 | Hailey Eisman

CW: This article includes descriptions of anti-LGBTQ+ violence and hate speech.  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 […]

01 February 2023 | Araxie Cass

Consent has been the center of a lot of discussion lately, both within the Armenian community and outside of it. Though legal definitions of sexual consent vary from country to country, the Merriam-Webster dictionary defines it as “giv[ing] assent or approval.”

Simple enough, right? Not exactly.

10 January 2023 | Alexa Gris

Victoria Gevorgyan was the first victim of the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh War. She was nine years old. Reading her name on the list of civilian casualties was anesthetizing. Victoria should be alive, playing freely in her yard with her mother and younger brother. She should have the right to grow up, as any child should. She […]

27 September 2022 | Ella Chakarian

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

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

I first learned about Liana Makes when a beautifully curated photo of some plated nazouks appeared on my Instagram feed. Truthfully, I hadn’t known about nazouk before seeing this photo. I soon learned, as the picture suggested, that they are a small, flaky dessert pastry nicely paired with soorj. I saw the photo on a […]

11 April 2022 | Marie Papazian