Armenian Communities of the Northeastern Mediterranean: Musa Dagh-Dort Yol-Kessab (Mazda Press, 2016) is the 14th volume in the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) conference series “Historic Armenian Cities and Provinces”. Earlier volumes include Armenian Van/Vaspurakan, Sebastia/Sivas and Constantinople. This volume focusses on communities on the southern edge of Armenian Cilicia, including cultural and historic information and analysis on Alexandretta, Antioch, Beylan and the Ruj Valley, as well as chapters on each community mentioned in the title, among them a chapter on Kessab by Armenian Institute’s Dr Susan Pattie. The current war in the area brings added importance to this subject and a recent article from Granta on the invasion of Kessab is also included.

Admission: £5 to include wine and nibbles.

Prof Richard G Hovannisian, Professor Emeritus, UCLA, was formerly the Armenian Educational Foundation Chair in Modern Armenian History there and is currently Adjunct Professor of History at the University of Southern California. He organised this important series beginning in 1999 and has served as editor of the subsequent volumes throughout. Best known for his publications on the history of the first Republic of Armenia, Prof Hovannisian has written numerous books and articles on a range of Armenian historical topics, most prominently, the Genocide and its aftermath.  The recipient of numerous awards, including the “I Witness Award” from the Jewish World Watch, Prof Hovannisian today is as active as ever, teaching and giving lectures around the world.