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MISSISSAUGA'S GAREBIAN WINS PAIR OF POETRY AWARDS
The News, Mississauga, Ontario
Oct 5 2014
Lakeview writer Keith Garebian will launch his first book of haiku
poetry, Moon On Wild Grasses, on April 21.
By Joseph Chin
MISSISSAUGA - It's been a couple of days to wax poetic about for
Keith Garebian.
On Oct. 25, the Lakeview resident was named winner of the 22nd annual
Surrey International Writers Conference Poetry Award. The next day he
won third prize for another of his poems at the 29th annual Canadian
Authors Association (Niagara Branch).
The Surrey award came with a $1,000 prize, and went to Garebian for
Armenian Elegy, which he describes as a "lament for the dead" - a
reference to the estimated 1.5 million Armenians who were massacred
by the Ottoman Turks during the 1915 Armenian genocide.
"I am particularly gratified that a poem about the Armenian half of
my ancestry has touched a chord because as I get older, I seem to be
exploring more deeply that part of my psycho-literary self," he said.
Born in India to an Armenian father and Anglo-Indian mother, Garebian
previously wrote on the genocide in Pain: Journeys Around My Parents
(a memoir published in 2000 and long out of print), and Children of
Ararat, a collection of 56 poems he published in 2010.
In addition, he has contributed to www.keghart.com, a prominent online
site devoted to Armenian culture and issues.
The Surrey announcement was made Oct. 25 as the conference wound up
at the Sheraton Vancouver Guildford Hotel with the awards banquet.
Garebian could not attend because he had to read his second
prize-winning poem, Hands (from his forthcoming poetry collection
about Georgia O'Keeffe and Alfred Stieglitz), closer to home in St.
Catharines.
Garebian, 71, is no stranger to winning awards; last year alone he
won the Mississauga Arts Award (Established Literary) for his book
Moon on Wild Grasses and the prestigious William Saroyan Medal, named
in honour of the great Armenian American dramatist and author. He's
taking the latest in stride.
"Awards - especially in poetry - are always subjective, as I well
know, having served as poetry juror numerous times, but they are
always welcome because they bring you acknowledgement, encouragement,
validation and sometimes monetary compensation," he said.
Garebian immigrated to Canada in 1961. Twelve years later he obtained
a Ph.D. from Queen's University and launched his career as a freelance
literary and theatre critic. His diverse writing has been published
in roughly a hundred newspapers, journals, magazines and anthologies.
He's also a prolific author, and will have two new books appearing
next spring - the aforementioned Georgia and Alfred - and a work of
political satire masquerading as literary parody, Accidental Genius
(from Guernica). This will bring his total count to 21 books published
since 1983.
http://www.mississauga.com/community-story/4960210-mississauga-s-garebian-wins-pair-of-poetry-awards/
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
The News, Mississauga, Ontario
Oct 5 2014
Lakeview writer Keith Garebian will launch his first book of haiku
poetry, Moon On Wild Grasses, on April 21.
By Joseph Chin
MISSISSAUGA - It's been a couple of days to wax poetic about for
Keith Garebian.
On Oct. 25, the Lakeview resident was named winner of the 22nd annual
Surrey International Writers Conference Poetry Award. The next day he
won third prize for another of his poems at the 29th annual Canadian
Authors Association (Niagara Branch).
The Surrey award came with a $1,000 prize, and went to Garebian for
Armenian Elegy, which he describes as a "lament for the dead" - a
reference to the estimated 1.5 million Armenians who were massacred
by the Ottoman Turks during the 1915 Armenian genocide.
"I am particularly gratified that a poem about the Armenian half of
my ancestry has touched a chord because as I get older, I seem to be
exploring more deeply that part of my psycho-literary self," he said.
Born in India to an Armenian father and Anglo-Indian mother, Garebian
previously wrote on the genocide in Pain: Journeys Around My Parents
(a memoir published in 2000 and long out of print), and Children of
Ararat, a collection of 56 poems he published in 2010.
In addition, he has contributed to www.keghart.com, a prominent online
site devoted to Armenian culture and issues.
The Surrey announcement was made Oct. 25 as the conference wound up
at the Sheraton Vancouver Guildford Hotel with the awards banquet.
Garebian could not attend because he had to read his second
prize-winning poem, Hands (from his forthcoming poetry collection
about Georgia O'Keeffe and Alfred Stieglitz), closer to home in St.
Catharines.
Garebian, 71, is no stranger to winning awards; last year alone he
won the Mississauga Arts Award (Established Literary) for his book
Moon on Wild Grasses and the prestigious William Saroyan Medal, named
in honour of the great Armenian American dramatist and author. He's
taking the latest in stride.
"Awards - especially in poetry - are always subjective, as I well
know, having served as poetry juror numerous times, but they are
always welcome because they bring you acknowledgement, encouragement,
validation and sometimes monetary compensation," he said.
Garebian immigrated to Canada in 1961. Twelve years later he obtained
a Ph.D. from Queen's University and launched his career as a freelance
literary and theatre critic. His diverse writing has been published
in roughly a hundred newspapers, journals, magazines and anthologies.
He's also a prolific author, and will have two new books appearing
next spring - the aforementioned Georgia and Alfred - and a work of
political satire masquerading as literary parody, Accidental Genius
(from Guernica). This will bring his total count to 21 books published
since 1983.
http://www.mississauga.com/community-story/4960210-mississauga-s-garebian-wins-pair-of-poetry-awards/
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress