The second installment of Literary Lights 2026 reading series will feature Rebecca Rose Mooradian, author of the highly anticipated picture book “Rose by the Sea,” in conversation with fellow writer Astrid Kamalyan. The virtual event will take place on April 11, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. Pacific, 1:00 p.m. Eastern and 9:00 p.m. Armenia time. Register here.
Based on the true story of the author’s great-grandmother, this “affectingly gentle” (Kirkus Reviews) picture book about surviving the Armenian Genocide offers hope and heart even amid unspeakable tragedy. Illustrated by Myo Yim, the book is suitable for readers of “The Proudest Blue” and Yuyi Morales’ “Dreamers.”
Rose is what my parents call me:
Dzovinar, their rose by the sea.
Dzovinar (“zill-ven-ar”) lives with her family in Armenia, where hillsides are dotted with sheep and the apricot trees bloom every spring. She loves her home, but one day, soldiers storm her village, and she returns to an empty house.
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With their parents gone, Dzovinar and her sister are forced to flee. Afraid and alone, they journey across the desert and over the ocean — first to France and then to America — where they hope a new future will bloom. Changed but not lost, Dzovinar takes root in a new land, forever a rose by the sea.
Book reviews
“A beautifully illustrated and emotionally rich picture book about the impact of the Armenian Genocide that introduces this difficult chapter of history through the eyes of a child, Dzovinar… Mooradian and Yim have created a powerful book to share with care. It opens space for conversations about resilience, identity and remembrance, and it shows how storytelling helps us honor the past while finding beauty in survival.” — School Library Journal
“The lyrical prose and stunning illustrations evoke displacement, fear and uncertainty while also channeling courage and hope… The detailed artwork deepens the emotional resonance of the text with a powerful use of color and artfully integrated motifs and remembrances that echo from scene to scene, creating a powerful story that gently invites conversation and reflection.” — Booklist
“Based, per an author’s note, on the childhood events of Mooradian’s great-grandmother, this first-person story connects arrayed hues to a youth’s flight during the Armenian Genocide… Establishing a new residence, the sisters paint the walls in colorful hues that remind them of loved ones and home, contributing to a vibrant, layered collage of the duo’s experiences.” — Publishers Weekly
Rebecca Rose Mooradian lives in a woodland garden in the heart of Nashville, Tennessee. Her work has appeared in New Millennium Writings, Sing Out! online and Hamilton Stone Review, among others. When she is not innkeeping, chasing her kiddos or gardening, she is writing words and music about how much she loves the world. She is represented by Courtney Donovan at Writers House.
Astrid Kamalyan comes from a large, happy family and is the oldest of five. She spent most of her childhood in Armenia. As a child, she wished she could one day paint the beautiful mountains of Artsakh. Now she paints with words and writes for the most important people in the world — kids. Kamalyan holds an MBA from the American University of Armenia. She loves globetrotting with her husband and two sons. Astrid currently lives between Chicago and Yerevan, Armenia.
Literary Lights 2025 is a monthly reading series organized by the International Armenian Literary Alliance, the National Association for Armenian Studies and Research and the Krikor and Clara Zohrab Information Center. Each event, held online or in person, features a writer reading from their work, followed by a discussion with an interviewer and audience members. Readers can follow the series by purchasing “Rose by the Sea” and other titles at IALA’s Bookshop.org storefront.
Missed the Literary Lights 2026 launch event featuring Pulitzer Prize-winning author Peter Balakian? Watch the full recording here.
