Featured
No Greater Love
It was the third day of the Artsakh War, a sunny Tuesday morning about 6:30 AM. A scream sliced the still, autumn air. A mother’s voice – my neighbor’s voice – protested the world’s indifference […]
Articles by Sarah Stites
Music
Discovering Armenia through Song
I first met Alin Demirdjian in a shared taxi bound for Gyumri. There was something about her that looked familiar to me – I was sure I’d seen those striking curls flash across my Facebook […]
Family Histories
You Can’t Escape Destiny
I was never one to believe in destiny. But, as the Armenian proverb says, you can’t escape it. Earlier this month, I randomly googled my mother’s maiden name. In the list of search results, “Charles Mooshian” […]
Memoir
Light and Momentary Troubles
When I think about it now, it’s fitting that I first met Raya near a railroad. I didn’t know it at the time, but for her, trains hold many memories. They are a symbol of […]
News
KIDO: Cultivating Gyumri’s Most Important Resource
I noticed Gor when I first entered the classroom of energetic three and four-year-olds at Gyumri’s new KIDO preschool. Unlike several of the others who shied away from my camera, he leaned in, posing, grinning […]
News
Disability Seminar Calls for “Full-Fledged Citizenship”
When Arev Melkonyan went to her first prenatal checkup, she felt invisible. “The doctor ignored me completely,” she remembers. Melkonyan was with a friend of hers, a friend whom the doctor immediately instructed to lie […]
Featured
My friend Hovo
The minute you catch Hovo’s attention, his cheeks wrinkle, his eyes crinkle and his teeth flash into a huge grin. When I first met him, the young server thought I was Russian and greeted me […]
Special Reports
Lovestruck and Labeled
When I was 19 and living in Ireland, a young man named Declan asked me out on a date. “Feel free to say no,” he wrote via text, clearly anticipating rejection. “I won’t be offended.” […]
Culture
Aregak Bakery: Making Pastries and Changing Perspectives
Several weeks ago, I sat waiting for a cappuccino inside Gyumri’s new Aregak Bakery. A particularly earnest young barista was working the espresso machine, taking direction from his more experienced counterpart. After frothing and pouring […]