Come listen to author Arpy Maghakyan as she speaks about two of her books -- her latest: Տիգրան Մեծի հեքիաթը [The Story of Tigran the Great, 2024], a historical fiction about the strongest king in Armenian history as told by a 2,000-year-old coin; and the best-selling Երևանյան հեքիաթներ [Yerevan Tales, 2019, second edition 2024], fascinating stories about cultural sites in Armenia's largest (and capital) city.
Location: Glendale Central Library- Children's Space
Thank you to the Glendale Library, Arts & Culture Trust for sponsoring this program.
ABOUT
Arpy Maghakyan is a Yerevan-based children’s author whose popular work weaves together history, heritage, and fiction to bring Armenia’s past and present to life for young readers. The author of five books in Eastern Armenian, she draws on her extensive background in art, theater, and media to create captivating stories that resonate across generations.
Her debut book, Երևանյան հեքիաթներ (Yerevan Fairy Tales), became a bestseller following its 2019 release and was reissued in an expanded second edition in 2024. Her second book, Արևի համբուրած Շուշին (Sun-Kissed Shushi, 2022), tells the story of a young girl named Shushi who persuades the 5th-century creator of the Armenian alphabet to teach her the newly invented letters. Her third and fourth books— Արտավազդ արքայի հեքիաթը (The Story of King Artavazd, 2023) and Տիգրան Մեծի հեքիաթը (The Story of Tigran the Great, 2024)—are narrated by 2,000-year-old coins that witnessed some of the greatest triumphs and tragedies in ancient Armenian history. Her fifth book, forthcoming in fall 2025, imagines pivotal childhood moments in the lives of notable intellectuals, including a fictionalized Soviet—era encounter between future Armenian artist Lusik Aguletsi and future Azerbaijani novelist Akram Aylisli.
In addition to her writing, Arpy regularly leads interactive reading sessions with children across Armenia—in classrooms, camps, and libraries—where young participants help co-create fairy tales. She began this work in 2020, during the war in Nagorno-Karabakh, also known as Artsakh, by organizing interactive art therapy sessions for refugee children. She continues to prioritize outreach to children living in marginalized communities.
Before devoting herself fully to children’s literature, Arpy served as Director of Acting at the National Opera of Armenia. Her earlier career included directing the long-running production of Little Red Riding Hood at the Armenian National Puppet Theater, producing educational television programs on cultural heritage and motherhood, and conducting investigative reporting on social issues.
Arpy lives in Yerevan, Armenia, with her husband, two children, and their dog Ampik.
