MFA Fiction Alumnus Aram Mrjoian on the Experience of Editing "We Are All Armenian: Voices from the Diaspora"
When I was a younger writer, I imagined everything moved fast, that books and careers could blossom in a matter of months, maybe a year or two, neither realizing how long good writing takes nor the sluggish pace at which the publishing world moves. I set unrealistic goals and deadlines for myself that constantly needed to be renegotiated. I routinely failed to meet my individual expectations. I found that the only thing I could control was giving myself time and space to write. Eventually, I learned through experience that if I truly wanted a career as a writer and editor, I would need to be patient and resilient. Failures and delays were just part of the deal.
No project has taught me this more than editing the anthology We Are All Armenian: Voices from the Diaspora (University of Texas Press, March 2023). After working with the press to develop an eighteen-month publishing timeline, the book took more than three years to bring from idea to print copy. The pandemic played a large part in that slowdown (I pitched the book in March 2020), along with unforeseen editorial challenges, personal distractions, and the rigors of the academic peer-review process, but some of the delays were also a matter of getting the book right and going through the meticulous processes of ensuring it was the best it could be before it reached readers.
During those three years of work, I focused on numerous other projects too. I completed my PhD, wrote a novel, published stories and essays, and worked as an editor for a handful of literary magazines. It felt like there was always lots to do. Editing We Are All Armenian was a point of consistency while everything else remained in flux. The anthology was always a labor of love, one that was sometimes difficult to imagine ever being finished. There were plenty of days when I was convinced I was failing, that the contributors and readers would be disappointed in the book I put together. Instead, in the few short months since pub day, We Are All Armenian is already in its third printing, and it’s been overwhelming to see the enthusiasm and connection from readers around the world. It’s been particularly meaningful to hear from a passionate Armenian audience as the book was primarily written for them. There’s already talk of a second volume.
The patience paid off. The writing life is rarely straightforward or easy, but I’ve found the largest rewards come when I accept that things will take as long as they take.