GLENDALE—Author and linguist Hrayr Varaz Khanjian will be in town to present his second collection of bilingual twitter poems, “#jivjiv language.” Presented by Abril Bookstore and GALAS, the event will be held on Tuesday, August 27 at 7 p.m. at The Center for Armenians Arts, located at 250 N. Orange St. in Glendale, California. Khanjian will introduced by Talar Chahinian.
Admission is free, and 90-minute free parking is available in a nearby structure. For more information, call (818) 243-4112.
“#jivjiv language” is the second volume of bilingual twitter poems written by queer Armenian poet and linguist Hrayr Varaz (ig hrayr_huh_died), with cover and illustrations by Amy Kazandjian (ig amykazn). It includes 40 pairs of poems about the joys of the Armenian language, letters, sound bites, and word bits. This volume also includes a long form prose, a sounds (streams) of consciousness written in Armenian while gazing at Jupiter and Saturn during an early morning summer day. All poems and prose are in both Western Armenian and English. The poems also include their corresponding pronunciations in the other language’s alphabet. Everything is written with speling freedoms and deviations from the Armenian dictionary appear in blue. Cover art by Amy Kazandjian.
Dr. Hrayr Varaz Khanjian is a queer Western Armenian-ist, Yelamu-based (S.F.) poet, translator, teacher, linguist, flower photographer, dancer, sensory intensity flow-er. He’s a white non-disabled gay cis-male who writes with spelling freedoms and welcomes odar-words (non-Armenian words) putting aside amot (shame). Hrayr’s first self-published bilingual poem pair collection #jivjiv is now in its second printing, with a second #jivjiv volume focusing on language released summer ‘24. Both books are illustrated by Amy Kazandjian and printed by Abril Books. He’s also translated and collaborated on language projects with the Armenian Creatives. Hrayr reads his jivjivs frequently in SF, LA and NY.
