(February 22, 2008) — The Armenian Studies Program at Fresno State and co-sponsors have planned three programs in March, beginning March 7 with the ninth annual Armenian Film Festival.

All three events are free and open to the public.

The film festival will be at 7 p.m. in the Grosse Industrial Technology Building, Room 101 (corner of Barstow and Campus Drive).

The program is co-sponsored by the Armenian Students Organization and funded in part by the Diversity Awareness Program of the University Student Union.

Parking restrictions will be relaxed in Lots K, L and Q.

On Wednesday, March 12, Wednesday, poet Gregory Djanikian will speak at 7:30 p.m. in the University Business Center’s Alice Peters Auditorium.

Djanikian’s new book of poems, “So I Will Till the Ground” (Carnegie Mellon), has just been published. It deals, in large part, with the Armenian Genocide and Djanikian’s immigrant experience in this country after he left Alexandria, Egypt, as a young boy.

Djanikian teaches in the creative writing program at the University of Pennsylvania.

The program is co-sponsored by the Armenian Students
Organization.Parking restrictions will be relaxed in Lot J.

The third program is Saturday, March 15 at 7:30 p.m. in the Alice Peters Auditorium. Turkish Author Kemal Yalçin will discuss his book, “You Rejoice My Heart.” The novel, which has been translated into English, discusses the massacre of the Armenians and Assyrians.

Joining him will be publisher Ara Sarafian of London.

The program is co-sponsored by the Tekeyan Cultural Association. Parking restrictions are relaxed in lots adjacent to the University Business Center.