ABOUT
Laura
In 2021, I graduated with an MFA degree in Creative Writing from the Rainier Writing Workshop, a three-year low-residency MFA program at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Washington. In that program, I completed two manuscripts tied to my exploration into how my grandmother and her two sisters survived the Armenian Genocide. My critical paper explores how authors write into silence, the private silence of untold stories and the public silence of suppressed stories. In my creative thesis, a hybrid memoir, family photographs, primary documents, and historical fact intersect with memories and speculation to create a personal story within the larger public archive.
WORK IN PROGRESS
Matilda’s Silence: The Search For My Armenian Family’s Story
My grandmother Matilda Haigazn survived the Armenian Genocide of 1915-1923, which took one and a half million Armenian lives, men, women, and children. Matilda rarely spoke of her experiences and the family she left behind in Turkey. Not knowing what happened has always haunted me. This manuscript is my investigative journey to find my extended family and their story, including the historical context in which their lives took place.
Blog
Chuckanut Writers Conference
Highlights, Past and Future Community is my number one reason for attending writing conferences. To meet up with local writer friends and make new ones. To be around people who get what being a writer is all about. To share in the struggles and the flow, to support...
How Long?
A friend recently inquired about my writing. I’m always happy to be asked how my writing is going and on this day the work had gone especially well and I was excited to share that news. I had started a new chapter in my Armenian family memoir, a chapter that, for a...
What Are You Training For?
A few years ago, in my late fifties, I became concerned with some aging-related upper body muscle loss. But every time I tried to strengthen my upper body, I’d hurt myself. Low-level neck, back, and shoulder issues grew worse. Pain is a great motivator and I started...


