The Queer Armenian Library is the world’s first digital library dedicated exclusively to literature by, about, and for Queer Armenians.
J.P. has spoken throughout the Midwest on a variety of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion topics: how to develop intercultural competency skills, LGBTQ health equity, racial equity, implicit biases, and culturally responsive organizations. His recent essays are featured in The Sun Isn't Out Long Enough (Anamot Press) We Are All Armenian: Voices from the Armenian Diaspora (University of Texas Press) and Emerge (Lambda Literary). He is currently working on a collection of essays: A Home at the Beginning of the World. He hosts the podcasts This Queer Book Saved My Life! and 7 Minutes in Book Heaven.
Literary moment or literary movement?
Writing what I know (and hope to know)
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My Journey
At first, I wanted to be an actor. I studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts (Los Angeles) and twice attended the British American Drama Academy (Oxford, England) on scholarship. I graduated from the American Academy with their two highest honors: the Charles Jehlinger Award and the Spencer Tracy scholarship. I started life as a classically trained Shakespearean actor. But then, I found actual work in broadcast journalism. Over...
"The world is a dangerous place and there are villains out there. But he asked me, 'how can we not give them so much power? Not to excuse their behavior or dismiss the idea that they should be responsible for their actions, but to use EMDR to understand the context, to see that what they did wasn’t about you.' As I stared out a window, he hung these words onto my silence: How can we live with our wounds and not have them govern us?" ~ From my essay "The Words"
Recent Events
A selected list of recent engagements from London, Traverse City (Michigan), and Minneapolis. To inquire about my availability please use the contact form.