FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

On The Trail of Armenian Women’s History By Sona Zeitlian

GLENDALE, CA On Friday, June 13, 2014, at 7pm, Sona Zeitlian will present her newly published book On the Trail of Armenian Women’s History at the Glendale Central Library Auditorium, 222 East Harvard Street in Glendale. The presentation is in Armenian. Admission is free. Library visitors receive 3 hours FREE parking across the street at The Market Place parking structure with validation at the Loan Desk.

On the Trail of Armenian Women’s History is a comprehensive study of Armenian women from goddesses to modern times, reflecting national values and the prominence of women. It examines the role of women in the cultural renaissance of Constantinople and , focusing on the writings of prominent female authors, and discusses the organization and impact of the first women’s movement. The book also examines the effects of the and the mass deportations of women and children. The resilience of survivors and women’s organizations’ sustained relief efforts to meet the multiple challenges draw from unpublished witness accounts and extensive research. Finally, the challenges of diasporan Armenian women in modern times is examined. The study has also compiled maps and photographs, some of which belong to personal collections and appear in print for the first time. The book was granted the Kevork Melidinetsi 2013 Award.

Sona Zeitlian was born in , . She is an award winning educator and author with a long career of community activism and leadership in Cairo, Beirut, and Los Angeles. Her writings have focused on Armenian mythology and legends, folk tales based on the Armenian oral tradition, Armenian women's intellectual history, the rights movement and current issues of Armenian women in the homeland and diaspora. In 1995 she was nominated to the Advisory Board of Gustav E. Von Grunebaum Center for Near Eastern Studies at UCLA. She has been active in educational work and community service and is highly acclaimed for her lectures, panel discussions and seminars. Her publications are The Role of Armenian Women During the War of Liberation, The Folktales of Musa Dagh, Legendary Armenian Braves (Four volumes), The One and Only (Armenian/English folktale), in Egypt: Contribution of Armenians to Medieval and Modern Egypt, and the newly published On the Trail of Armenian Women’s History.

This program is sponsored by Glendale Hovhannes Toumanian Chapter and Glendale Library, Arts and Culture department. ### CONTACT: Elizabeth Grigorian, Armenian Outreach Coordinator, Glendale Library, Arts & Culture Department [email protected] or (818) 548-3288.