NEW JERSEY, New Jersey — When Jim and Janet Balakian attended the American University of Armenia’s (AUA) New York City gala, Reporting Live from NYC!, they expected an inspiring evening. What Jim encountered was something far more personal.
The gala, dedicated to raising scholarship funding for the AUA Master of Arts in Multiplatform Journalism (MAMJ) program, highlighted the University’s commitment to elevating professional and ethical journalism in Armenia. As Jim learned more about AUA’s mission to strengthen Armenia’s media landscape and cultivate journalists guided by integrity and truth, he found himself thinking of his late aunt, Nona Balakian. Inspired by this vision, Jim and Janet established the Nona Balakian Endowed Scholarship, ensuring that future generations of journalism students will have access to the same transformative educational opportunities that shaped Nona’s life and legacy.
Nona Balakian was a pioneering force in American literary journalism. After earning her master’s degree from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism in 1944, she joined The New York Times Book Review, where she worked for 44 years, ultimately becoming its first female editor.
Peter Balakian, her nephew and Pulitzer Prize-winning author, reflected: “Nona’s career in journalism made her a role model for generations of women. She dedicated her life to strengthening literary journalism and upholding its integrity, while championing serious, complex writing and ensuring that voices of depth and conscience were heard.”
For Nona, “literary” was more than a descriptor; it was, as Peter described, her creed. At a time when commercial pressures increasingly shaped publishing priorities, she was known for her fierce commitment to quality, demanding that challenging works of fiction, poetry, and literary criticism receive the attention they deserved.
She advocated for university press books and independent publishers long before they gained mainstream recognition. Nona championed avant-garde and emerging writers, and quietly but powerfully opened doors for women authors in an era when they were often marginalized. In 1974, she co-founded the National Book Critics Circle, helping create a space where critics and literary journalists could honor excellence based on discernment and craft.
Nona’s story is also one of resilience. Born to Armenian parents who fled Constantinople following the Armenian Genocide, she grew up in New York in a family that valued education, culture, and intellectual rigor. From homeschooling during childhood illness to earning scholarships that carried her through Horace Mann School, Barnard College, and Columbia Journalism School, her life embodied perseverance and possibility.
To her extended family, Nona was known for her intellect, her signature Parisian scarf and gold brooch, and her relentless encouragement of others.
“You can do it,” she would say, no matter the obstacle. That spirit of belief and opportunity now lives on through a scholarship that bears her name.
For Jim Balakian, supporting AUA was a natural extension of his aunt’s legacy. “Our family is establishing this endowed scholarship to honor the legacy of my late aunt, Nona Balakian,” he remarked. “Nona had a long and fruitful career working as editor for The New York Times Book Review. She was a compassionate person and would be happy to support this worthy cause. The Balakians have always placed an importance on education, and we are gratified to help the Armenian community, especially those in need and displaced from Artsakh.”
In honoring his aunt, Jim has created life-changing opportunities for others.
Founded in 1991, the American University of Armenia (AUA) is a private, independent university located in Yerevan, Armenia, affiliated with the University of California, and accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission in the United States. AUA provides local and international students with Western-style education through top-quality undergraduate and graduate degree and certificate programs, promotes research and innovation, encourages civic engagement and community service, and fosters democratic values. AUA’s Office of Development stewards the University’s philanthropic efforts exclusively for educational purposes.