Arthur Kayzakian will read and sign copies of his poetry collection, “The Book of Redacted Paintings,” on Saturday, August 12, at the Burbank Town Center Barnes & Noble at 2 p.m.
The book presents a series of poems reflecting various elements of the immigrant experience, including war, loss, and family. While exploring erasure and ekphrasis, Kayzakian centers the narrative on a boy who is trying to find a missing painting of his father. The artwork he seeks may or may not exist.
Through “The Book of Redacted Paintings,” Kayzakian has scored a 2021 Black Lawrence Immigrant Writing Series award win, in addition to being named a 2021 Philip Levine Prize for Poetry finalist.
“There are elements of loss,” Kayzakian said of the book’s themes. He added, “We all have, I believe, something like a gash inside that, when we’re reminded of it, it’s like it’s still there. That, to me, is like a redacted painting inside of all of us — like a painting that’s been removed from the wall inside of us, but we still feel its energy.”
Kayzakian was born in 1977 in Tehran, Iran. Early in his life, his family was well-off, as his grandfather owned two businesses, and his relatives lived together on a spacious property. Amid the early stages of the Iranian Revolution, however, this comfortable environment became a dangerous area devastated by the country’s rising conflict.
“When I was 3, our block turned into a war-torn block,” Kayzakian said. “It was right before the revolution, so it was ayatollah Revolutionary Guards versus the resistance. And there was gunfire, there were sirens.”
In 1980, Kayzakian and his family moved to London before relocating to the United States four years later. Since 1995, Kayzakian has resided in Burbank. Though he developed a love for penning poetry in middle school, Kayzakian decided to pursue journalism at California State University, Northridge, where he graduated in 2004. After working in public relations for a time, Kayzakian returned to his roots in creative writing. He went on to earn a master’s degree in English from CSUN, as well as a master’s in poetry from San Diego State University.
In the period since, Kayzakian has continued to hone his writing skills by participating in poetry workshops. This is where his interest in negative space originated, “became [his] obsession,” he says, and ultimately served as the foundation for his new poetry collection. As he looked back on his previous compositions, Kayzakian noted his uninhibited approach to creating “The Book of Redacted Paintings.”
“This is the first book I’ve ever loved that I’ve written,” Kayzakian said. “All the other manuscripts that led to this, I was doubtful. I was afraid. I was hiding. In this one, I just went full force.”
As of 2023, the poet has been sober for a decade. Following years of building his poetry portfolio and navigating his personal path, “The Book of Redacted Paintings” represents Kayzakian’s triumph over adversity. Moreover, he hopes that readers will gain their own sense of healing from its contents.
“This book is a testament to how far I’ve come as a human being and that I survived,” Kayzakian said. “It’s about survival. It’s about, even if someone comes and just says, ‘Hey, you belong to me,’ and they try to rip something out of you, it’s still there.”
He added, “So I would want anyone to feel like — if there’s anything that they’ve had taken away from them, that they can find solace.”
Kayzakian is working on a second poetry book and has plans to write a novel down the road. He currently holds the title of International Armenian Literary Alliance poetry chair and is a past Finishing Line Press Open Chapbook Competition winner. Additionally, Kayzakian teaches at Chaffey College as an associate professor of English, which is a role the author “loves” and calls “the next best thing to writing.”
“It’s just a dream,” Kayzakian said of teaching. “It’s hard work… Not every day is great. It’s not all peachy and roses every day, but overall, my worst day teaching would still be better than my best day at an office job.”
As he prepares to introduce his book to the Burbank community, Kayzakian says he’s both “excited” and “terrified” to be in the spotlight. He also voiced his enthusiasm over meeting guests and sharing poems that he anticipates will resonate with fellow Burbankers.
“I’m excited about reading in Burbank, especially in the hometown where I live,” Kayzakian said. “I don’t necessarily talk about Burbank in my book, but I feel like anybody that lives here will understand from the kind of lingo I lean into. So it’ll be fantastic to read here.”
You can learn more about “The Book of Redacted Paintings” here: https://blacklawrencepress.com/books/the-book-of-redacted-paintings/.
Or learn more about the August 12 in-store Barnes & Noble event here:
https://stores.barnesandnoble.com/event/9780062158447-0
The post Arthur Kayzakian To Present Poetry Collection, “The Book of Redacted Paintings,” With A Reading And Signing In Burbank This Saturday appeared first on myBurbank.