Arto Vaun Introduces AUA’s Center for Creative Writing and Locomotive Magazine to Greater Boston Area

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WATERTOWN, MASSACHUSETTS – On December 29, the Hamazkayin Boston chapter organized a talk led by Arto Vaun, Senior Lecturer at AUA’s College of Humanities & Social Sciences (CHSS). The event took place at the Armenian Cultural and Educational Center  where Mr. Vaun spoke about his experience in Armenia, as well as AUA’s launch of two major initiatives, the Center for Creative Writing (CCW) and Locomotive Magazine.

The CCW is the first such hub of creative writing and literary studies not only in Armenia but in the entire region. It will serve as a much-needed bridge between non-Armenian and Armenian writers and students of literature.

One of the center’s main projects is Locomotive (locomotivemag.com), a bi-annual journal of contemporary poetry and writing. The journal is meant to serve as a platform of new writing that brings together innovative contemporary work by diverse global voices. It is the first world-class, non-Armenian, Anglophone literary journal edited, printed, and exported from Armenia and the former Soviet Union.

Locomotive is one of AUA’s first major publications and will be available at various independent bookshops worldwide (for example, Skylight Books in Los Angeles and Harvard Bookstore in Boston). The inaugural issue includes highly acclaimed poets and writers such as D.A. Powell, Tara Bergin, Stephen Burt, Gail Mazur, Carol Muske-Dukes, Scott Cairns, and Karen Van Dyck. The second issue of Locomotive is planned for late spring.

Arto Vaun, director of the CCW and founder/editor of Locomotive, is a Boston-native poet, writer, and musician based in Yerevan. His poems and writings have been published widely in the US and UK. Mr. Vaun also served as the co-editor of the Armenian Weekly from 2000 to 2002. He has previously taught at UMass Boston, University of Glasgow, and Mass Bay College.

With enthusiastic professors and a supportive community, AUA hopes to become home to several more such initiatives geared toward leveraging the most creative and talented minds from around the world.  

Founded in 1991, the American University of Armenia (AUA) is a private, independent university located in Yerevan, Armenia and affiliated with the University of California. AUA provides a global education in Armenia and the region, offering high-quality, graduate and undergraduate studies, encouraging civic engagement, and promoting public service and democratic values.