IALA to host virtual panel discussion on The Business of Writing featuring industry leaders from the U.S. and Armenia
The International Armenian Literary Alliance (IALA) is pleased to invite you to The Business of Writing, a free and virtual panel discussion with literary agents Arevik Ashkharoyan, Jennifer Azantian and Natalie Edwards. The event will take place on Zoom on November 15, 2025, at 9:00 a.m. PST | 12:00 p.m. EST | 9:00 p.m. Armenia Time. Register here.
The panelists will discuss the process of submitting, accepting and rejecting work as well as speculate about publishing trends. The overall purpose of this panel is to provide insight into navigating the publishing world as Armenian writers from the perspective of experienced agents.
The panel discussion, to be moderated by John Parker, will be followed by a brief Q&A session to offer writers an opportunity to ask questions to the panelists. A recording of the event will later be available on IALA’s YouTube channel.
About the panelists
Arevik Ashkharoyan is a literary agent with 10 years of experience in publishing. In 2016, she established ARI Literary and Talent Agency, representing a dozen writers of Armenian origin from all over the world. In 2018, she founded the non-profit arm of the organization, the ARI Literature Foundation, to implement projects aimed at the development of the local book market, promotion of reading and writing in Armenia and enhancing international dialogue. Projects run by the ARI Foundation include Write in Armenia International Writing Camp, Zabel International Women Writers Forum and Let’s Read! (ARI Kardanq) book clubs.
Jennifer Azantian established Azantian Literary in 2014 and focuses primarily on fiction across genres for MG, YA and adult readers. She represents bestselling and award-winning writers and is always on the lookout for new talent. Prior to ALA, Jennifer was at the Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency, followed by a stint with the Paul Levine Literary Agency. Before publishing, she earned her Bachelor of Science in clinical and developmental psychology from UCSD, where she was an executive editor for the Triton Psychology Report. She brings to her clients a passion for literature born of a writer’s heart, an editorial eye honed from reviewing thousands of projects and the connections to help bring wonderful books to life.
Natalie Edwards joined Trellis Literary Management at its founding in the fall of 2021, after previous stints at Janklow & Nesbit and Curtis Brown, Ltd. In fiction, she looks for upmarket and literary projects that combine an accessible voice with a page-turning plot. She loves contemporary workplace send-ups, grounded speculative novels, complex family and friendship stories, immersive historical fiction (especially from underrepresented perspectives and moments in time) and anything and everything queer. In nonfiction, she gravitates toward compelling journalistic narratives, issue-driven hybrid memoirs, hidden histories, cultural criticism and “systems” books that blow open the inner workings of everyday things we take for granted. Across her list, she enjoys working with projects that feature quirky, unconventional jobs; fascinating subcultures; nefarious scams; and undeniable voices brimming with humor and heart.
Some of Natalie’s clients include Indies Introduce author Jessie Ren Marshall (“Women! In! Peril!” / Bloomsbury, 2024), Vogue culture reporter Emma Specter (“More, Please” / Harper, 2024) and former Editor-in-Chief of The Rumpus Aram Mrjoian (“Waterline” / HarperVia, 2025). Originally from Pasadena, Calif., Natalie holds a bachelor’s in English from Bowdoin College, where she played four years of varsity softball. She lives with her wife in Brooklyn, where she still plays softball.
John Parker is the founder of the Queer Armenian Library, the world’s first library devoted to works by, about, and for Queer Armenians. Since 2014, Oxford University has included a copy of the collection in its Bodleian Library. His writing has appeared in the anthologies “We Are All Armenian,” “The Sun Isn’t Out Long Enough,” and “Emerge.” John founded and hosts the podcast “This Queer Book Saved My Life,” a 2024 GLAAD Media Award Nominee for Outstanding Podcast. He also hosts “The Gaily Show,” which is the only daily LGBTQ progressive radio news and talk show in the United States. It airs on AM950-KTNF (Minneapolis) and WCPT 820 (Chicago). Follow the show on Bluesky for listings in new cities as they become available. As a queer Armenian-American who is a dual citizen of France and the United States, he is currently at work on an essay collection titled “A Home at the Beginning of the World” which explores how home is more than place, but rather it is in our names and the languages we speak, in our migrations and the histories we do and don’t carry. Stay tuned to the Queer Armenian Library and “The Gaily Show” for any updates on its publication.
The International Armenian Literary Alliance supports and celebrates writers and translators around the world, fostering the development and distribution of Armenian literature in the English language and in translation. Learn more: armenianliterary.org
