“Zabel” International Forum of Women Writers is officially launched (video in Armenian)

It is symbolic that the forum was launched on February 4, on the birthday of prominent Istanbul-Armenian writer, translator, publicist Zabel Yessayan. The forum will initially be online and the main activities will be presented at zabel.am website. In a press conference at Armenpress news agency, the head of literary programs at Newmag Publishing House Gohar Manukyan, and the executive director and founder of ARI Literature Foundation Arevik Ashkharoyan have talked about the current and future plans of the forum. 

After eight decades Zabel Yesayan returned to Armenian literature as the main symbol of Armenian women writers. The head of literary programs at Newmag Publishing House Gohar Manukyan explains why it was decided to name the forum after Zabel Yesayan. “During her lifetime Zabel has always raised various critical issues and as a public figure she fought to resolve those issues. Zabel means truthful. She had an immense role in the literary and public spheres. So, it was not a coincidence that we have chosen her name for the forum.”

Initially, it was planned to have an international conference of women writers, but the coronavirus pandemic changed the plans. Currently, it has become an online platform. The zabel.am website is an international literary platform, which is presenting the stories of Armenian and international women writers. The executive director and founder of ARI Literature Foundation Arevik Ashkharoyan assures that instead of a three-day conference, there will now be a permanent online platform.  “One of the vital goals of the forum is to raise the role of women writers in Armenia, to present their works to the general public and also to facilitate a dialogue between Armenian and foreign women writers.”

Gohar Manukyan highlights that in one platform it will be possible to include different motivational stories of women writers, their literary pieces, and of course, success stories. The online platform will also present stories of disappointment, hardships and challenges, which eventually turned into a driving force in the path to success. “The zabel.am website is already launched. You can find different pages there. For instance, in the “Events” section the readers will learn about the upcoming discussions and lectures. In the “Articles” section the readers can find the written and video versions of the latest events. And of course, in the “Authors” section we will include all the women writers who cooperate with us. ”

Newmag Publishing House and ARI Literature Foundation will soon present the Zabel International Women Writers' Festival, as originally planned. Before that, the zabel.am website announced February as the month of Armenian women writers. March will be the month of German women writers, and April the month of Russian women writers.