Peter Balakian teaches an advanced writing class at Colgate. Photo by Andy Daddio
On April 24, 1915, the arrests of 250 cultural leaders in Constantinople/Istanbul set in motion the mass-killing of more than a million Armenians in Turkey. The Armenian genocide became the template for genocide in the 20th century.
Peter Balakian, Colgate’s Donald M. and Constance H. Rebar Professor of the humanities, a leading international expert on the subject, has discussed the genocide on The Charlie Rose show and on 60 Minutes with Bob Simon. He is the author of numerous books including The Burning Tigris: The Armenian Genocide and America’s Response, and Black Dog of Fate, both New York Times “notables” and best sellers.
Black Dog of Fate, winner of the 1998 PEN/Martha Albrand Prize for the Art of the Memoir, and a best book of the year for The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and Publisher’s Weekly, was recently issued in a 10th anniversary edition.
Here are Balakian’s upcoming appearances to discuss the Armenian genocide:
- March 12: University of Texas
- March 14: Houston Holocaust Museum
- March 17: Baylor University
- March 19: Southern Methodist University
- March 22: Arizona State University
- March 26: Keene State University
- April 16: Sienna College
- April 17: Le Moyne College
- April 23: Bergen Community College, Paramus, N.J.
- May 6: PEN World Voices Festival, SVA Theater, New York
At Colgate, Balakian and others are organizing a series of events:
- April 3: Colgate Friday Night 35mm Film Series: Calendar, a film about the genocide
- April 7: Colgate Alternative Cinema: ARARAT screening at Golden Auditorium. This event includes a panel discussion with director Atom Egoyan.
- April 14: Colgate will host an event commemorating the Armenian genocide, Yom Hashoa, and the Rwandan genocide
Balakian is the author of the forthcoming books Vise and Shadow: Essays on the Lyrical Imagination, Poetry, Art and Culture and Ozone Journal, both from the University of Chicago Press.