Aida Zilelian
Claudia Marcelle Madera Díaz

Bio

I am an American-Armenian writer, storyteller and an educator, teaching in NYC classrooms for twenty-two years. I am the author of two novels and a poetry collection, and have been telling stories on stages in New York, Montreal, Los Angeles and Boston. I am passionate about being part of communities and educational programs to encourage self-expression and creativity. I was the curator of on the first literary reading series in Queens, NY and was on the board of directors of Newtown Literary, the first Queens-based literary journal in our borough. Now I serve as the board of directors for the International Armenian Literary Alliance, an organization that supports Armenian writers and their growing careers. This year I was selected as an artist in residence with Keepsake House, an organization that champions storytellers and singer-songwriters. Most recently, I have collaborated with a fellow storyteller to co-produce and co-host the first Armenian storytelling show in NYC. Last year I had the privilege of working with two TEDx Cabarete speakers as their mentor, coaching them to present their TED talks from the page to the stage.