The International Armenian Literary Alliance (IALA) is pleased and honored to introduce its newest member of the IALA Board of Directors, Aida Zilelian.
Aida Zilelian is a first generation American-Armenian writer, educator and storyteller from Queens, New York. She is the author of The Legacy of Lost Things, recipient of the Tololyan Literary Award. She has performed at storytelling events in New York, Boston, Montreal and Los Angeles. Zilelian has also been featured in the Huffington Post and NPR’s Takeaway, among other reading series and print outlets. Her short story collection These Hills Were Meant for You was shortlisted for the Katherine Anne Porter Prize in Short Fiction, and her short story “The Piano” won first prize in the Lighthouse Weekly contest. Her poem “The Escape Artist,” finalist in the Sand Hills poetry contest, is forthcoming in the fall. She is currently working on completing Where There Can Be No Breath At All, a short story collection written through the perspective of diasporan Armenians. All the Ways We Lied (Turner Publishing/Keylight Books), her most recent novel, was published in January 2024.
Zilelian was the curator of Boundless Tales, one of the first and longest-running reading series in Queens. She is also on the Board of Directors of Newtown Literary, a Queens-based literary journal that supports emerging writers. In addition to being an inaugural IALA Advisory Board member, Zilelian has also served as a mentor for IALA’s annual mentorship program for the past four years and served as a judge for IALA’s first Creative Writing Grant. She was recently appointed as leader of IALA’s New York City Chapter.
The IALA NYC Chapter will give members the opportunity to meet and connect for cultural events in the city as well as share their own literary events for members to attend. Members are also encouraged to workshop their writing or meet to discuss literary works. Overall, the chapter will serve as a way for writers to build community and support each other. Those interested in becoming a chapter member or being included on the mailing list can contact Zilelian at Aida@AidaZilelian.com
IALA supports and celebrates writers by fostering the development and distribution of Armenian literature in the English language. Founded in 2021, IALA develops emerging Armenian writers, supports established authors, promotes Armenian literature and fosters intercultural exchange. IALA’s annual programs include grants in translation and creative writing, a mentorship program for emerging writers and the Young Armenian Poets Awards, which lifts up the next generation of Armenian writers. You can learn more by visiting www.armenianliterary.org.
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