Arto Vaun

Beirut, Lebanon
Website: http://www.artovaun.com/p/poetry-writing.html

Professional Experience

I'm a poet and writer from Boston, currently living in Beirut where I'm finishing my second book and teaching a creative writing workshop. I've covered everything from loneliness in Yerevan to the the poetry of WS Merwin. I've appeared twice on the BBC to discuss my work. Always on the lookout for new free-lancing opportunities.

Total Media Industry Experience

5 Years

Media Client List (# assignments last 2 yrs)

Roads & Kingdoms (1-2), Civil Net (3-5), Carcanet Blog (3-5)

Corporate Client List (# assignments last 2 yrs)

PicsArt Inc (6-10)

Other Work History

Poetry editor, Glimpse Journal Co-editor, The Armenia Weekly 1999-2001

Foreign Language Skills

English (native), Armenian (fluent), Turkish (moderate)

Computer Skills

Word, OS 10

Equipment

macbook pro, digital recorder, Canon digital camera

Work Permits & Visas

US citizen, Armenian work visa

Awards

2014 Tololyan Prize for Literature

General

Forward Book of Poetry
(Faber 1/1/2010)
My poetry was included in this anthology of poems being considered for UK's Forward Prize.
Capillarity
(Carcanet Press 3/1/2009)
[An] ambitious first collection[...] The writing is open and spacious, swerving constantly from intensely personal details (at times it has the immediacy of diary jottings) to a larger, more ambitious range as Vaun conjures his parents' Armenian background[...] - The Guardian
Empty Rooms, Flooded Hearts
(Civil Net 5/15/2014)
A photo essay about an ancient, relatively unknown part of Yerevan (Armenia).
Adhesives and Pancakes
(Carcanet Blog 2/28/2014)
An essay about the quiet apprenticeship between a younger and older poet, even if the older poet isn't aware of it.
Nigoghos Sarafian and Indie Rock
(Carcanet Blog 9/12/2012)
Discovering a powerful modernist Armenian poet from Paris, and uncovering his DIY ways. (I was interviewed by the BBC about this story).
Loneliness in Yerevan Part 1
(Civil Net 5/23/2014)
An essay about moving somewhere you've never been before and confronting your family's past.
A Spiritual Journey
(Armenian Intl Magazine 2/1/1992)
A review of choral work from one of the most important Armenian composers of the 20th century.
My Uncle, Catholicos Zareh I
(Roads & Kingdoms 9/1/2014)
An essay that explores how we connect to relatives perhaps we never knew but who have had a larger impact.