Versatile wordsmith with 20 years' experience writing for local to international outlets including the Middle East on culture, travel, religion/spirituality, mental health, & minority communities.

Writing

OLIVE_WOOD_CARVERS

As a writer and journalist, I can negotiate the balance between word and image. I have two Masters degrees: one in British and American Literature from Stony Brook University and one in journalism from the University of Missouri, Columbia.

Some of my writer highlights:

founder and blogger of www.greekamericangirl.com, the only site dedicated to the issues, interests and accomplishments of women of the Hellenic Diaspora
editor’s choice award in poetry Arkana Review (Issue 10) for “I am a captive of the American Dream”
in talks with EAP publishers for Theochtiste and the Pirates of the Aegean, a children’s book about a female saint who was kidnapped by pirates and sold into the sex slave trade
published clips for local NYC outlets such as The Brooklyn Eagle, and international such as Gulf News
active writer for The Mighty and Medium on matters related to mental health
weekly column titled “Being a Greek American” for The National Herald, the oldest bilingual Hellenic American newspaper

IN THE PRESS

Portfolio

See published work live by visiting these sites:

Poetry: Arkana Review, Calyx: A journal for Women, Train Ride.

Pemptousia: various articles

OrthoChristian: various articles

Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Greek City Times: various articles

www.clippings.me/irenearchos

irenearchos.weebly.com

Medium platform: various articles

https://themighty.com/u/greekamgirl/

Contact

Do you interesting on my Encaustics arts, you can use this form below to contact me to get more information.

Rendezvous With Rumi: The Poet of Divine Love on Valentine's Day

Perhaps no poet has captured the ecstasy of love like Jalāl al-Dīn Muḥammad Balkhi or Mevlana/Mawlana “the Master” as he is known in the Middle East or just simply Rūmī in the West. His poetry, short and penetrating, reverberates with the energy of divine love. His connection to the Source is palpable through his words. On the day of love and lovers, what could be finer than studying the poetry of the Poet of Love, Rumi.

In this workshop we open our souls to the mystic intensity of Rumi’s verse and combine it with the Sufi tradition of whirling dervish dancing. This 13th-century Persian poet and Sufi mystic writing in what is now Turkey but then part of the Greater Iran has become extremely popular in the 20th and 21st century since the translation of his manuscripts by Coleman Barks. Using his poetry as inspiration, we will go into a “trance-like state” to uncover the poetry within us, dance with the universe, and laugh with the knowledge that we are connected in Love that transcends time, culture, and ego.

This workshop includes:

-introduction to the life and work of Rumi
-journaling, visual and verbal, to some of the most poignant verses of his compendium
-whirling dervish dance (be advised those who do not have an easy gait or easily lose balance are urged to sit out).
-creating and connecting via short verses composed in the spirit and style of The Master along with visual art

Duration: 2 hours, Valentine’s Day, Tuesday Feb 14th, 7-9 pm

Cost: $25 per person.
Location: Astoria, NY (close to the subway (to be announced)