Welcome, Lilly Torosyan

Originally published in the Armenian Weekly

In the same week that the Armenian Weekly published my piece thanking editor emeritus Pauline Getzoyan for her five years of stewardship of the Weekly, I read the first piece by our new editor Lilly Torosyan.

My first thought was one simple word: “Wow.” Lilly can write. Lilly weaved a beautiful piece, threading many familial and national themes into a poetic tapestry, to mark her taking the helm of this venerable paper. We gained insight into her family, rooted to the recent history of our nation, in the eyes of her grandfather. We learned of Lenin’s despicable response to Shaumian and Andranik’s request for weapons. She invoked Raphael Patkanian, James Baldwin, Zahrad, Siamanto and Tigran Hamasyan. While Lilly’s tapestry is beautifully crafted, it is also bluntly serious, as is the last century and half of our history.

My second thought was, “Oh boy, not only will I have to sharpen my pen, but I will have to sharpen my wit, expand my vocabulary and seriously mine for deeper metaphors to keep up with our new editor.” I don’t think this was her intent. I believe she was just writing in her natural and gifted voice. But in doing so, there was a tug on, a tightening of, the creative tension that anyone who contributes to the Weekly probably felt. It was an invitation to step it up, to take things to a new level. This is the kind of thing any organization, including a weekly newspaper, needs in order to refine the organizational ethos and nurture continuous improvement.

The Weekly has a long and proud history. The editors, their staff and contributors have defined the quality of the paper and forged this proud history. The editor is the leader, of course, in this regard. We face existential concerns, rooted in Nakhichevan, Karabakh, Zangezur and whatever the unholy alliance Turkey and Azerbaijan are planning as their next step. The role of the Weekly is to buoy our part of the diaspora in these rough seas as we contribute however we can to ameliorating our national plight. We, the larger Weekly community, also need to support our local communities and organizations, especially those of our youth, like the AYF and HMEM, to keep our community viable, vibrant and cohesive.

Pauline Getzoyan felt all of this intensely in her tenure as editor. Lilly Torosyan feels it with the same passion. Pauline inspired and encouraged folks like me to want to contribute more to the Weekly. Lilly has certainly picked up where Pauline left off and has taken a very good first step in charting her own course. 

Welcome, Lilly, and best wishes for a long and successful term as editor.