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Twin Falls Times-News
Feb 22 2015
Your Neighbor: The Woman Publishing Her Refugee Memoir
How We Met
I first met Liyah Babayan last year while covering the 99th
anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. Since 2009, refugees and members
of the community gather around a plaque in Twin Falls City Park to pay
their respects to the 1.5 million Armenians who were killed during the
Armenian Genocide of 1915-1923 in present-day Turkey. Last year, it
was a cold and dreary day when about 30 people gathered to pray and
lay roses near the plaque.
Five generations of Babayan's have experienced genocide. Her family
fled Baku, Azerbaijan, to Armenia when she was a child. From 1988
through 1990, the Armenian population in Soviet Azerbaijan were
beaten, tortured, murdered and expelled from the city. In 1992, when
she was 11, her family was brought to Twin Falls with help from the
College of Southern Idaho's Refugee Program.
Babayan didn't know English when she first arrived. As she started
learning the language, her first sentence she wrote in her journal
said: "War kills childhood."
Her essays for school were always about the horrific things she had
seen and lived through as a child. While other children were sharing
stories of what they did on their summer vacation, Babayan was telling
stories of her family standing in lines for rations and secretly
living in a utility closet inside of an Armenian school for four years
because they had no where else to go.
She remembers feeling confused, frustrated and isolated.
"The refugee experience in America is not glamorous. That's when your
true struggle begins again," Babayan said.
"You are very disempowered. You don't understand the culture and the
society. There is no refugee manual."
She said her teacher at Harrison Elementary, Nancy Gunter, gave her a
copy of "Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl."
Frank's story not only gave Babayan someone to relate to, but also
provided her an outlet to express her feelings. Babayan began writing
her memoir in the fourth grade. She decided at a young age to share
her story, not only for herself, but also for her family and those who
lost their lives.
"For me, it's been a lifetime of healing," she said.
How You Might Know Her
Babayan is now 30 and has two children. She has owned Ooh La La!, a
women's boutique in downtown Twin Falls, for seven years. She recently
was appointed as a member of the Twin Falls School Board.
She still has her old journals and classroom writings that she keeps
in two storage boxes.
Sometimes she flips through the pages and reads what she wrote.
"I feel like I don't know this person. I've grown away from her," she
said. "But I feel proud of her."
What's Next For Her
In the fall, Babayan hopes to self-publish her 200-page memoir titled
"LIMINAL: A Refugee Memoir." She has started a Kickstarter campaign to
raise $6,000 to publish hard copies of the book, which will also be
digitally available. Her campaign ends March 2. As of Friday, the
campaign had almost received $3,000.
Russ Tremayne, an associate professor of history at College of
Southern Idaho, is editing her book. Babayan said she met him while
taking his history class five years ago.
"It's going to be self-published. I had a contract, but decided
against it because the integrity of the story can be changed," she
said.
Besides her personal story, she has dedicated a chapter in her book on
how refugees can transition to their new life.
"This memoir is my personal journey in the constant struggle and
defense of our Armenian identity, and of our ancestor's," Babayan
wrote on her Kickstarter page.
She decided to crowd fund the book so that others could be a part of the story.
Everyone who donates $25 or more will receive a copy of "LIMINAL: A
Refugee Memoir."
To learn more or to contribute, go to
www.kickstarter.com/projects/324300238/liminal-a-refugee-memoir-0?ref=users.
http://magicvalley.com/print-specific/twn-column/your-neighbor-the-woman-publishing-her-refugee-memoir/article_df61f395-957e-57e4-9aec-5b2f4336f53f.html
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
Feb 22 2015
Your Neighbor: The Woman Publishing Her Refugee Memoir
How We Met
I first met Liyah Babayan last year while covering the 99th
anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. Since 2009, refugees and members
of the community gather around a plaque in Twin Falls City Park to pay
their respects to the 1.5 million Armenians who were killed during the
Armenian Genocide of 1915-1923 in present-day Turkey. Last year, it
was a cold and dreary day when about 30 people gathered to pray and
lay roses near the plaque.
Five generations of Babayan's have experienced genocide. Her family
fled Baku, Azerbaijan, to Armenia when she was a child. From 1988
through 1990, the Armenian population in Soviet Azerbaijan were
beaten, tortured, murdered and expelled from the city. In 1992, when
she was 11, her family was brought to Twin Falls with help from the
College of Southern Idaho's Refugee Program.
Babayan didn't know English when she first arrived. As she started
learning the language, her first sentence she wrote in her journal
said: "War kills childhood."
Her essays for school were always about the horrific things she had
seen and lived through as a child. While other children were sharing
stories of what they did on their summer vacation, Babayan was telling
stories of her family standing in lines for rations and secretly
living in a utility closet inside of an Armenian school for four years
because they had no where else to go.
She remembers feeling confused, frustrated and isolated.
"The refugee experience in America is not glamorous. That's when your
true struggle begins again," Babayan said.
"You are very disempowered. You don't understand the culture and the
society. There is no refugee manual."
She said her teacher at Harrison Elementary, Nancy Gunter, gave her a
copy of "Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl."
Frank's story not only gave Babayan someone to relate to, but also
provided her an outlet to express her feelings. Babayan began writing
her memoir in the fourth grade. She decided at a young age to share
her story, not only for herself, but also for her family and those who
lost their lives.
"For me, it's been a lifetime of healing," she said.
How You Might Know Her
Babayan is now 30 and has two children. She has owned Ooh La La!, a
women's boutique in downtown Twin Falls, for seven years. She recently
was appointed as a member of the Twin Falls School Board.
She still has her old journals and classroom writings that she keeps
in two storage boxes.
Sometimes she flips through the pages and reads what she wrote.
"I feel like I don't know this person. I've grown away from her," she
said. "But I feel proud of her."
What's Next For Her
In the fall, Babayan hopes to self-publish her 200-page memoir titled
"LIMINAL: A Refugee Memoir." She has started a Kickstarter campaign to
raise $6,000 to publish hard copies of the book, which will also be
digitally available. Her campaign ends March 2. As of Friday, the
campaign had almost received $3,000.
Russ Tremayne, an associate professor of history at College of
Southern Idaho, is editing her book. Babayan said she met him while
taking his history class five years ago.
"It's going to be self-published. I had a contract, but decided
against it because the integrity of the story can be changed," she
said.
Besides her personal story, she has dedicated a chapter in her book on
how refugees can transition to their new life.
"This memoir is my personal journey in the constant struggle and
defense of our Armenian identity, and of our ancestor's," Babayan
wrote on her Kickstarter page.
She decided to crowd fund the book so that others could be a part of the story.
Everyone who donates $25 or more will receive a copy of "LIMINAL: A
Refugee Memoir."
To learn more or to contribute, go to
www.kickstarter.com/projects/324300238/liminal-a-refugee-memoir-0?ref=users.
http://magicvalley.com/print-specific/twn-column/your-neighbor-the-woman-publishing-her-refugee-memoir/article_df61f395-957e-57e4-9aec-5b2f4336f53f.html
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress