The Armenian Institute and Quarter Tone Poets invite you to a unique bilingual poetry workshop led by Lola Koundakjian, shaped by live music and shared writing.
Lola will share texts in Western Armenian and English and introduce a series of prompts for short, guided writing sessions. As you write, live instrumentalist Kourosh Kanani will perform acoustic, meditative music to create a focused, contemplative space. There is no set theme! This session is designed to generate new drafts and ideas rather than polished poems. Participants will be invited to share their work, if they wish.
The workshop will move between Western Armenian and English, depending on the language skills in the room. Eastern Armenian speakers are also warmly welcomed. We aim to create an open, inclusive space for writers of all backgrounds and levels.
This event is a partnership with Quarter Tone Poets, and is also part of the Armenian Institute's Heritage of Displacement: Oral Histories from the UK Armenian Communities (2023–2026) project, funded by a National Lottery Heritage Fund grant, thanks to National Lottery players.
About Lola Koundakjian
After her degrees in Fine Arts at Hunter College and Ancient History at Columbia University, Lola honed her skills as an editorial board member at the Ararat Literary Quarterly, in New York. She runs the Dead Armenian Poetry Society and curates and produces poems and audio for the online Armenian Poetry Project. Lola’s translations from Western Armenian are in Ararat, Armenian Poetry Project, Rattapallax, Poetry International and most recently in Wasafiri in 2024. Since 2010, Lola has read her work throughout New York City and online. She was invited to read in person at international poetry festivals: Medellín, Colombia ; Lima, Peru; Santiago, Chile; Ramallah, West Bank; Trois-Rivières, Quebec, and Buenos Aires, Argentina. In 2021 her third book The Moon in the Cusp on my Hand won the Minas and Kohar Tololyan Prize in Contemporary Literature.
About Kourosh Kanani
Born to an Iranian father and Irish mother, Kourosh Kanani’s music reflects both his Persian roots and his Western influences.
He studied Carnatic rhythm under the guidance of renowned mridangam and konnakol artist Vidwan BC Manjunath, adding a profound layer to his work that draws from the deep traditions of South Indian music.
Known for his masterful fusion of Persian folk music, South Indian Carnatic rhythms, and jazz, Kourosh’s sound transcends genres and cultural boundaries. Equally renowned in the world of gypsy jazz, he is recognised as one of its most prominent players.
About Quarter Tone Poets
Quarter Tone Poets promotes and celebrates innovative literary expression in Western Armenian by exploring the musicality of language and the linguistic possibilities discovered through music. We will specifically do this by cultivating new poetry inspired by original compositions on the oud and other Armenian folk instruments.