Peter Balakian: <i>From Manhattan to Der Zor</i>

Library : Belmont Public Library

Location : National Association for Armenian Studies and Research 395 Concord Avenue, Belmont, MA, 02478

Start : Thursday 6th of November 2025 7:30 PM

End : Thursday 6th of November 2025 8:30 PM

Description :

The National Association for Armenian Studies and Research (NAASR) presents the Winner of the Pulitzer-Prize for Poetry, Peter Balakian. Reading from and discussing his New Book New York Trilogy. In an inventive, elliptical language, New York Trilogy explores one man’s journey from the late 1960s to the twenty-first century, as he moves through a series of experiences centered in New York City and the surrounding New Jersey Palisades. Throughout this long poem in three parts, the protagonist’s life is impacted by historical events including the Armenian [censored], the bombing of Hiroshima, the Vietnam War, the [censored] epidemic, the attacks of September 11th, the US war in Iraq, and the climate crisis. Comprised of three multi-sequence poems originally included in Peter Balakian’s collections No Sign, Ozone Journal, and Ziggurat, the sections of New York Trilogy come together to form a poetry that embraces interior and aesthetic experiences, celebrates human intimacy, and bears witness to history. The historical power and psychological depth of Balakian’s work expands on the tradition of the American long poem with a lyrical narrative that weaves intimate personal moments into the vastness of shared history. Dr. Peter Balakian is the Donald M. and Constance H. Rebar Professor of the Humanities in the department of English at Colgate University in Hamilton, New York. He is the author of many books, including The Burning Tigris: The Armenian [censored] and America’s Response, winner of the Raphael Lemkin Prize; Black Dog of Fate, winner of the PEN/Albrand Award for Memoir; and Ozone Journal, winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry. Co-sponsored by Tekeyan Cultural Association Boston Chapter and the Belmont Public Library More information at the NAASR event page. belmontpubliclibrary.assabetinteractive.com/calendar/peter-balakian-i-from-manhattan-to-der-zor-i/