St. James Men’s Club Hosts Writer

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MensClubWATERTOWN — On Monday, January 4, Anna Astvatsaturian Turcotte, a writer, lecturer and human rights activist, will be the featured speaker at the St. James Men’s Club, 465 Mount Auburn St.

Turcotte is a former Armenian refugee from Baku, Azerbaijan. After fleeing Baku in the fall of1989, she and her family spent three years in Armenia as refugees before coming to the US in 1992.

She is the recipient of a Mkhitar Gosh medal, the highest civilian honor awarded in Armenia, for exceptional achievements in political-social spheres, as well as outstanding efforts in the fields of diplomacy, law and political science.

She also received the gratitude medal from the president of Nagorno Karabagh Republic, Bako Sahakyan.

She is a graduate of the University of North Dakota and later the University of Maine School of Law. In 2002, she received an outstanding law student of the year award from Who’s Who American Law Students for her work at the International Criminal Court. After graduating from law school, she was one of the first Americans to clerk at the ICC in The Hague, Netherlands, after working on and observing the ICC’s creation at the United Nations.

In 2012, she published her book, Nowhere, a Story of Exile, which she wrote at age 14 as her family settled in North Dakota. The book is based on her childhood diaries that she kept as her family was fleeing Baku and during life in Armenia as refugees. In April 2013, she successfully spearheaded the recognition of Nagorno Karabagh at the State of Maine House of Representatives.

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Turcotte was elected as a a city councilor in Westbrook, Maine in November 2015.

The social hour starts with mezza at 6:15 p.m. followed by a complete Armenian dinner at 7 p.m., $15 per person. The dinner meeting will be at the St. James Armenian Church, Charles Mosesian Cultural and Youth Center, Keljik Hall. The program is open to the public and ladies are welcome.

 

 

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