ABOUT AIDA.
Aida Zilelian is a writer, educator and storyteller from Queens, NY. Her writing explores and challenges the depths of domestic love and relationships, the pull of culture, and the connections between characters that transcend time and circumstance.
Her first novel, The Legacy of Lost Things (2015, Bleeding Heart Publications), was the recipient of the 2014 Tololyan Literary Award. She has been featured in the Huffington Post, NPR’s Takeaway, Poets & Writers, Kirkus Reviews, among other reading series and print outlets. All the Ways We Lied (Turner Publishing/Keylight Books), her most recent novel, released in 2024.
Aida was the curator of Boundless Tales, one of the first and longest-running reading series in Queens, NY. She is a board member of the International Armenian Literary Alliance (IALA), an organization that supports Armenian writers in all stages of their careers. Aida has served as a mentor for IALA’s annual mentorship summer program for the last five years, served as a judge for IALA’s first Creative Writing Grant and is IALA ‘s NYC chapter leader.
As an educator, Aida has been teaching in NYC public high schools for over twenty years, facilitates creative writing workshops and professional development workshops through various organizations and appears in public speaking engagements.
She has been performing at storytelling events (NYC’s Finest Storytelling, RISK!, Generation Woman, Suitcase Stories and others) in Boston, Los Angeles, and Montreal, and PBS’ televised Stories from the Stage.
To schedule a workshop, event, or public speaking engagement, you can contact her here: aida.zilelian.nyc [AT] gmail.com
A recent copy of Aida’s CV can be found here.
ABOUT AIDA.
Aida Zilelian is a writer, educator and storyteller from Queens, NY. Her writing explores and challenges the depths of domestic love and relationships, the pull of culture, and the connections between characters that transcend time and circumstance.
Her first novel, The Legacy of Lost Things (2015, Bleeding Heart Publications), was the recipient of the 2014 Tololyan Literary Award. She has been featured in the Huffington Post, NPR’s Takeaway, Poets & Writers, Kirkus Reviews, among other reading series and print outlets. All the Ways We Lied (Turner Publishing/Keylight Books), her most recent novel, released in 2024.
Aida was the curator of Boundless Tales, one of the first and longest-running reading series in Queens, NY. She is a board member of the International Armenian Literary Alliance (IALA), an organization that supports Armenian writers in all stages of their careers. Aida has served as a mentor for IALA’s annual mentorship summer program for the last five years, served as a judge for IALA’s first Creative Writing Grant and is IALA ‘s NYC chapter leader.
As an educator, Aida has been teaching in NYC public high schools for over twenty years, facilitates creative writing workshops and professional development workshops through various organizations and appears in public speaking engagements.
She has been performing at storytelling events (NYC’s Finest Storytelling, RISK!, Generation Woman, Suitcase Stories and others) in Boston, Los Angeles, and Montreal, and PBS’ televised Stories from the Stage.
To schedule a workshop, event, or public speaking engagement, you can contact her here: aida.zilelian.nyc [AT] gmail.com
Aida’s CV can be found here.