YEREVAN, Armenia – On May 13, the American University of Armenia (AUA) AGBU Papazian Library, together with the English and Communications program, hosted a poetry reading in the Akian Gallery by AUA Adjunct Lecturer Alex Vartan Gubbins. He read excerpts from his soon-to-be-released debut book of poetry, entitled Decoding the Hill of Dead Kings, published by the Wayne State University Press.
The poetry reading was preceded by AUA Assistant Professor Dr. Timothy DeMay, who gave a moving introduction. The poems selected by Gubbins explored themes of family, land, and diaspora.
Wayne State University Press describes the book by saying, “The book paints a stunning portrait of a life lived between his two homelands: Michigan and Armenia. Written primarily in English with some poems in Armenian, this collection combines elegy and lyric across prose and open forms to shed light on the conundrum of diaspora — feeling rooted here, there, and in neither place entirely. Crossing the boundaries of space and time, Gubbins probes and unsettles notions of legacy, family, diaspora, geopolitical borders, and narratives of power. The ebb and flow of sadness and longing, paralleled by an unshakeable spirit, ultimately settles within these poems as hope and wonder at existing in the everyday.”
Gubbins describes the experience of writing the book, stating, “Poetry is a communal act. In this book, I transcribe my Armenian community experience. I use the music in poetry, diction, silence, mythology, and experiences I have with people. However, with this book I also bear in mind the non-Armenian who knows very little about us. This book puts a magnifying glass on my journey of what I see and feel from Michigan to Armenia, with family and kind strangers who become brothers, through curiosity for life and concern for the next day. When this book became more of a body, I realized this may be the only book someone would pick up about Armenians, so I wrote more poems to fit that vision, and I ordered them with the hope that the reader would finish the last poem and become our advocate.”
The reading was brought to a close with a lively Q&A.
Decoding the Hill of Dead Kings is available for purchase from Wayne State University, HFS Books, Dussman, and Amazon. The ABGU Papazian Library will also be receiving two copies of the book to be available for checkout.
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 (WSCUC) 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.
