Helicopter Moms Anonymous The rise and fall of power Hello. My name is Garine and I am a Control Freak and Helicopter Mom. I know how everything is supposed to go and I know exactly what my kids, my husband, you and the President of the United States should be doing at any given moment…

by Garine Isassi My mother had many talents. She could do algebra in her sleep. (She was a chemical engineer.) She could cram about 6000 plates and cups into one dishwasher load. She could fake her way through any church song on the piano, pretending she knew it. And she could make almost any houseplant…

21st Century Yalanchi At almost every family gathering, our Aunt makes yalanchi, the Armenian version of rice-stuffed grape leaves. Well, my poor Aunt has been having more and more trouble with her arthritis and the past several family gatherings – no yalanchi! There were grumblings among the cousins – who is going to start making…

Perils of Parenting by Garine Isassi Article Four The Belly Button (nostalgic for the good old days) I’m looking at my three month old baby and wondering if she feels nostalgia for the good old days. The days when she could lollygag around, swimming and floating, without having to worry about the responsibility that weighs…

Living in New Jersey, USA. September of 2001…   This article appeared on the front page of the 9/30/01 issue of the Watsessing Heights Newsletter and was also published on the website, Baristanet a year later. By Garine Isassi From a distance I can see it. There is a hole in the skyline, filled with black…

Literary Representation: Barbara PoelleWord One LiteraryNew York, NYbarbara@wordonelit.com Contact Garinè directly using the form below.