Genocide Awareness Month: Victoria Atamian Waterman, Author of "Who She Left Behind"
Join us to commemorate April’s Holocaust and Genocide Awareness Month with Victoria Atamian Waterman, author of Who She Left Behind, in conversation with Pauline Getzoyan, chair of the Rhode Island Holocaust and Genocide Education Commission. Who She Left Behind is a generational story of survival, love, and motherhood in the aftermath of the Armenian Genocide. Based on the author’s own family history, this historical fiction novel explores the deeply emotional lives of its characters, spanning multiple time periods - from the waning days of the Ottoman Empire in 1915 to the Armenian neighborhoods of Rhode Island and Massachusetts in the 1990s.
This conversation will shed light on the often-overlooked stories of the brave and resilient women who became the foundation of rebuilt communities after the Armenian Genocide. Don’t miss this opportunity to hear about a poignant and compelling narrative of strength, legacy, and remembrance.
Copies of the book will be available for purchase and signing, courtesy of Stillwater Books. This event is free and open to the public. Registration is not required, but those who register below will receive an email reminder about the event three days before the event date.
- Date:
- Wednesday, April 16, 2025
- Time:
- 6:30pm - 7:30pm
- Time Zone:
- Eastern Time - US & Canada (change)
- Location:
- James T. Giles Community Room
- Branch:
- Central Library
- Audience:
- Adults
- Categories:
- Author Event Community History
Victoria Atamian Waterman is a life-long Rhode Islander, Armenian-American storyteller, author, and speaker who draws inspiration from the quirky multi-lingual immigrant home in which she was raised with her grandparents, survivors of the Armenian Genocide. Her empowerment of today’s women and girls makes her voice ideal for telling the little-known stories of yesterday’s women leaders. Her TEDxTalk, “Today’s Girls are Tomorrow’s Leaders” has been seen by thousands of viewers. Who She Left Behind is her first historical fiction and award-winning novel.
Pauline Getzoyan is the chair of the RI Holocaust and Genocide Education Commission and co-chair of the RI Branch of the Genocide Education Project. Recently retired as the editor of the Armenian Weekly newspaper based in Watertown, Massachusetts, Pauline is in her 20th year as an adjunct English professor at the Community College of Rhode Island.