Most Popular Books by David Kherdian

In Long River Home, David Kherdian invites readers into the luminous landscape of his youth, a time when the silver screen shimmered with cowboys, gangsters, and dreams of being "somebody" in a world full of possibility. Growing up amid the lingering shadows of the Depression, he navigates a changing America with wide-eyed curiosity, absorbing the rhythms of family, neighborhood, and nature. Through short prose pieces and poems, Kherdian recalls the small wonders-a robin at the window, a secret fishing spot, the red fence behind the factory, the thrill of trading comics-and the larger lessons of identity, love, and spiritual awakening. His reflections blend the magic of childhood imagination with the grounding realities of immigrant life, the Armenian experience, and the forging of values that would shape him as an observer, writer, and man of the world. Part memoir, part meditation on innocence and aspiration, Long River Home captures the sweetness, wonder, and enduring hope of growing up in an earlier America-a world where heroes inspired, the sky felt limitless, and every small memory carried the promise of a life fully lived.

In Black Mountain Home, author David Kherdian returns to his poetic roots with a collection that truly captures the essence of what it means to be alive. Drawing inspiration from the lush mountainscapes of North Carolina, he takes the reader on an unforgettable backwoods sojourn as he describes nature''s raw pureness with elegant simplicity.

We are the moments that shape us... Every conversation, every minute on the job, every daydream, every chance encounter--these moments all add up to something much greater than the sum of their parts. If cultivated properly, each of these disjointed moments can spark magic within and help us become who we are truly meant to be in this world. In Becoming a Writer, David Kherdian lays out some selected memories, moments, and places in time that proved critical in shaping his soul as an editor, poet, and writer. We all have a story tell... David captures the magic of each moment of life and encourages us all to do the same. From his early childhood memories walking up and down the streets of Racine, Wisconsin with his gang of friends to crushing disappointment at the hands of overly critical school teachers... From his days as a door-to-door magazine salesman all the way to Japan on the eve of the war in Korea... From a stint compiling the works of the Beat Poets in San Francisco to decoding the raw emotion contained in his mother''s own memoirs... Becoming a Writer is more than just a memoir. In detailing the defining moments of his life, David Kherdian also provides us with a guide to help capture the magic within our own lives, put it to paper, and ultimately share it with the world.

What is it like to come as a stranger to a new country and adapt to another culture without losing your own? For the Armenians who fled the Genocide in the early part of the 20th century. Those fortunate enough to make it to America were forced to adapt to a new home while attempting to maintain their identity. Renowned Armenian-American author David Kherdian recalls growing up in the Midwestern city of Racine and all the characters his family encountered. To Live Again is a poignant story told through poetry of the Armenian diaspora and the struggles to find a new place to set down roots. This is an important piece of art of marginalized and sometimes forgotten people who endured many hardships but became a vital part of Racine''s history.

Poet David Kherdian offers a retelling of poems and songs drawn from ancient Armenian texts that describe nature''s unique relationship with humanity. These songs and poems contain a glimpse into characteristically humble yet troubled world outlook. Upon reading these deeply intimate writings, we tap into out collective faith and draw from that place in us that is reserved for the essential and true--from our own unspoiled reservoir of spirit, that understands what has been lost and can yet be regained.

James Willard Schultz was the first white man to penetrate the Blackfeet tribe, participating in their rituals, buffalo hunts, horse trading and stealing, all the while keeping notes, with the intention of one day recording their history. When his wife died he left the tribe and moved to California, where he began to write stories, novels and memoirs of his time with the Blackfeet Indians of Montana. This biography of his early years with the tribe is an outstanding adventure story and also a love story of two people, who are strangers to each other at the start, but grow in understanding and love through their devotion to one another.

Poetry. David Kherdian is the author or editor of over fifty books, which include poetry, novels, memoirs, and children''s books as well as critical studies, translations, and retellings. His numerous awards include a Newbery Honor Book, the Jane Addams Peace Award, the Friends of American Writers Award, and a nomination for the American Book Award. With simple and assuming means, like one of the great Armenian artisans who built the acclaimed original Christian churches, Kherdian creates the very life of the neighborhood of his childhood, and at the same time lets us see into the mind and spirit and heart of the poet himself -- Aram Saroyan.

Awakening is about capturing the heart of those moments in our lives that impress our deepest feelings, with vivifying details that act as a mirror to stir our conscience. David Kherdian''s work is clean and spare, and leaves the reader with an abiding sense of their own reality. His poetry exists in the mystic tradition of American poets such as Thoreau and Walt Whitman, poets who are often misunderstood in their own time.

Poet David Kherdian describes the day to day activities of a cat as he moves from the countryside to the big city. Beautiful woodcuts complement the elegantly simple verses of this collection. In a world where everything is hustle and bustle, COUNTRY CAT CITY CAT will remind even the most stressed or anxious among us to focus on the simpler things in life. From ages 9 to 99, there are nuggets of wisdom for all in this book.

In this short captivating memoir, Kherdian takes us on his long journey to become a writer: a journey of self-discovery and deliverance to a life he could not believe he would ever achieve. Following him, we often forget what he is searching for, but what does become apparent are the revealing patterns of his life that unfold uncontrollably, as determined by his fate, that he must uncover before he can realize his true destiny. This little book, a writer''s testimony, also becomes a reader''s story, as we move through and beyond Kherdian to find where each of us stands, for none of us can avoid the journey of our lives, and why we turn to artists, whose visions often provide a lens by which we can see ourselves.

In Letters to My Father, poet and storyteller David Kherdian expands the possibilities of poetry through his sensitive exploration and investigation of the joyous and sad, tumultous and transcendent relationship he shared with his father. He illuminates the cool distance and the warm intimacy that defines the relationship between fathers and sons. This is an excellent Father''s Day poetry selection.

Photocopy of revised typescript.