Beginning Monday, June 30 through Sunday, August 24
Saroyan Photography Exhibition
State Capitol Library, Room 121,
State Capitol Building, Historical Museum Section
Sacramento, California
9:00 AM to 5:00 PM Daily
Free to the Public
Enjoy an exceptional photographic display of gallery-quality black and white photographs of
William Saroyan during his visits to Armenia. These exquisite pictures of Saroyan were taken by
renowned photographer Boghos Boghossian, who currently resides in Armenia. The exhibit will
be on display at the State Library Room in the Historic Museum Section of the California State
Capitol in Sacramento. Melded with the writer’s own words, the pictures reflect Saroyan in
action, his emotional expressions and inner life while he interacted with the Armenian people.
Boghossian was able to capture and immortalize these special moments of the life of this
extraordinary Pulitzer Prize winning author. This two-month exhibition has been made possible
under the auspices of the California State Assembly Rules Committee, through the efforts of the
office of Assembly member Paul Krekorian. The exhibit is co-sponsored by the Armenian
Technology Group, Inc., (ATG) and the Armenian Heritage Museum, a California Public Benefit
Corporation. It will be open to the visitors and tourists free of charge.
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Saturday, July 5
Steppenwolf Theatre Company presents An Evening of Saroyan
Theatre Performance/Reading
7pm – John Wright Theatre
Post Event Reception
General Admission Seating: $15, students/seniors; $20 regular
Reserved Seating: $25
Featuring members of the Steppenwolf Theatre Company and friends, this evening includes
readings from the short stories and plays of Fresno legend William Saroyan. The event is
sponsored, in part, by the Ralph P. Ermoian Foundation, and by the Armenian Museum and the
William Saroyan Centennial Committee. For more information see www.saroyancentennial.org.
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Thursday, August 21, 2008 (Originally scheduled for August 28th)
Respite by the River, A Reading of Saroyan’s Work
San Joaquin River Parkway and Conservation Trust
Coke Hallowell Center for River Studies (River Center)
11605 Old Friant Road, Fresno
6 PM Historic House Tour, Bring your Own Picnic, Live Dinner Music
7 PM Reading from Writings by Saroyan
8 PM Dessert, Historic House Tour and Book Sales
Soak in the renewal that only nature can bring, by relaxing at a Respite by the River. Bring your
own picnic and listen to live music from 6 to 7 pm. Also available from 6 to 7pm are the tours of
the River Center, a restored historic home built in the 1890s. Saroyan mentions riding his bike to
sit under a fig tree at “Riverview Ranch” in his book, The Human Comedy. At 7pm, hear stories
of life in California’s Central Valley written by Saroyan and as read by entertaining readers. The
reading finishes by 8pm, when you can enjoy desserts and more time in the River Center.
Respite by the River takes place once a month, May through October, at the River Center, on
Old Friant Road, just three miles north of Woodward Park. The month of August is dedicated to
the Saroyan Centennial and our beloved Central Valley writer, William Saroyan. For more
information, contact (559) 433-3190, #3.
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Tuesday, August 26, 2008, to September 26, 2008
Art Installation at Art Space Gallery
Fresno City College
1101 E. University Ave., Fresno, California
Art Hop: September 4, 2008
Gallery Hours: Tuesday 10 AM-5 PM, Wednesday-Thursday 10 AM-8 PM,
Friday 10 AM – 2 PM
The art exhibition at the Art Space Gallery, “William Saroyan, Lines, Lines, Lines,” includes lines
from artwork, lines from essays and lines from dramatic works all related to William Saroyan. For
more information, please contact (559) 442-4600, ext. 8909.
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Thursday, August 28, 2008
Saroyan Birthday Celebration!
William Saroyan Theatre at the Fresno Convention Center
700 ‘M’ Street. Fresno, California
7 PM
Reservations $50.00 per person
Plans are in progress for the City of Fresno, Armenian Museum, and the Centennial Committee to
throw a BIG BASH in tribute to William Saroyan’s 100th birthday anniversary—music, dancing,
stories, and, of course, food! For Reservations, contact the Armenian Museum at (559) 243-
5880.
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Friday, August 29, 2008
Saroyan’s Birthday Party at Saroyan School
William Saroyan School
5850 West Escalon Ave., Fresno
1:00 PM
Sponsored by the William Saroyan Society, elementary students at the Saroyan School will be
celebrating the birth of award-winning author and playwright, William Saroyan. As part of the
Central Unified School District, the Saroyan School was named in his honor in August 1994. It is
the third largest school district in Fresno County serving over 14,000 students. Birthday cake for
all the students and a salute to Saroyan—what could be better!
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Fall of 2008
Art Exhibition
Merced Arts Council
645 West Main, Merced, California
Monday-Friday, 10AM- 4PM; Saturday 10AM-2PM
Free Admission
Carol Tikijian presents her art installation Why Abstract? Reflections on Saroyan as a tribute to the
writer and his work. Tikijian’s art installation will feature a large circle constructed of black and
white dots on which are imposed objects representing important elements of Saroyan’s life. For
more information contact the Merced Arts Council at (209) 388-1090.
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Friday, September 5, 2008
William Saroyan International Prize for Writing Award Ceremony
Green Library
Stanford Campus
557 Escondido Mall, Palo Alto, California
3:00 PM-4:30 PM
Admission Free
Join us for an afternoon reception as we present the 2008 William Saroyan International Prize for
Writing (http://library.stanford.edu/saroyan/), and also celebrate the publication of Heyday
Books' new Saroyan anthology, He Flies Through The Air With the Greatest of Ease. The
program will feature presentations by veteran novelist Herb Gold and Heyday Books' publisher
Malcolm Margolin. Copies of the new book will be available for purchase.
http://library.stanford.edu/saroyan/centennial.html
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Friday, September 5, 2008
Saroyan Centennial Celebration Concert
Braun Music Center
Stanford Campus
541 Lasuen Mall, Palo Alto, California
5:30 PM-6:30 PM
Admission Free
Following the reception, an evening performance showcasing Saroyan's musical talents and
collaborations will be held. Gregory Wait, Senior Lecturer and Director of Vocal Studies at
Stanford University, and Music Director of Schola Cantorum, will direct the program, which will
feature a world premier of Girakgi Picnic, a piece by William Saroyan and Alan Hovhaness that was
recently discovered in Stanford's William Saroyan archive.
http://library.stanford.edu/saroyan/centennial.html
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Saturday, September 6, 2008
Free Prostate Screening
California Cancer Center
7257 N. Fresno, Fresno CA 93720
9am-12pm.
Free
September is National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month. In honor of William Saroyan’s battle
against prostate cancer, the physicians at California Cancer Center and Urology Associates of
Central California have joined the William Saroyan Centennial Celebration and will offer free
prostate screenings (PSA and DRE) and prostate cancer education for the community at
California Cancer Center on Sept 6, 2008. For more information contact, Jennifer Tookoian,
Business Development & Marketing, California Cancer Center and CyberKnife, Community Regional
Medical Center, 2823 Fresno Street, Fresno, CA 93721, (559) 459 2649 office, (559) 708 0609
mobile (559) 459 6231 fax.
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Sunday, September 7, 2008
One-Man Performance with Todd Wronski
Woodward Park Library
944 E. Perrin
Fresno, California
2 PM
Free to the Public
Actor, director, drama professor, and playwright Todd Wronski will perform a one-man show
based on the life of William Saroyan, entitled In My Case An Exception Should be Made: An
Audience With William Saroyan. Through the 90 minute “audience” with Saroyan, we learn of his
birth, his experiences in the Fred Finch orphanage and his meteoric rise to the top of the worlds
of literature, film and theatre. Mr. Wronski’s professional credits include work with the Guthrie
Theater, the Dallas Theater Center, Pennsylvania Centre Stage, Florida's Annie Russell Theatre,
New York's Cider Mill Playhouse and performances at the Edinburgh International Festival Fringe.
For more information contact the library at (559) 433-3135.
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Tuesday, September 9, 2008
One-Man Performance with Todd Wronski
Sunnyside Library
5566 E. Kings Canyon
Fresno, CA 9372
7 PM
Free to the Public
Actor and drama professor, Todd Wronski will perform a one-man show, In My Case An Exception
Should be Made: An Audience With William Saroyan. The show is based on the life of William
Saroyan. For more information contact the library at (559) 255-6594.
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Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Reader’s Theatre
Armenian Home of California
6720 E. Kings Canyon
Fresno, California
6:30 PM
Free to the Public
Actors from the Woodward Shakespeare Festival will perform a reader's theater production of a
Saroyan work. A group discussion will follow the reader's theater. For more information contact
the library at (559) 251-8414.
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Thursday, September 11, 2008
Todd Wronski One-Man Performance: In My Case An Exception Should be Made: An
Audience With William Saroyan.
Triple X Fresno Chapter
630 S. Argyle, Fresno, California
6:30 PM Dinner
7:30 PM Show
Admission for Dinner and Show is $30
Enjoy an Armenian dinner and a Saroyan dramatic tribute with actor and drama professor, Todd
Wronski, who will perform his one-man show, In My Case An Exception Should be Made: An
Audience With William Saroyan. The show is based on the life of William Saroyan. For more
information contact Varoujan Der Simonian at (559) 224-1000.
Click here to select and listen to Todd Wronski podcasts: Dikinson College Blog>Theatre Podcast
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Sunday, September 14, 2008, Shows 4 PM
Saroyan’s The Cave Dwellers in Armenian with English Subtitles
“Bravo” Tbilisi Armenian Theatre
Tower Theatre
815 E. Olive Ave.
Fresno, CA
Tickets $25, $35, and $50
The Friends of Armenian Arts presents three Armenian acts in one day, one of which is Saroyan’s
The Cave Dwellers, at 4 PM. This production is one of three to be presented in Armenian at the
Tower Theatre, along with My Daughter’s Fiancés by Armen Bayanduryan (at 1 PM) and Pepo by
Gabriel Sundukyan (at 7 PM). For tickets contact the Tower Theatre at (559) 908-8474 or
Patrick’s Music at (559) 224-7287. This event is sponsored by The Friends of Armenia Arts at
(818) 637-2191.
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Tuesday, September 16, 2008, 7 PM
At the Sunnyside Library
5566 E. Kings Canyon
Fresno, CA 9372
Phone: 255-6594
Fresno historian William Secrest, Jr. will present a multi-media program entitled, Saroyan: The Man
and His Fresno. Learn how Saroyan, born in Fresno, traveled the world, rubbed elbows with
celebrities, and received international accolades for his writing.
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Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Book Discussion: Essential Saroyan
Auberry Library
33049 Auberry Road
Auberry, California
6:30 PM
Free to the Public
Chris Henson, CSUF faculty member in the English Dept., will lead a discussion on the book,
Essential Saroyan, a compendium of excerpts from Saroyan’s fiction and nonfiction works along
with selected short stories and plays. Register for this program at the Auberry Library by
September 1, 2008 and received a free copy of this book. For more information contact the
library at (559) 855-8523.
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Wednesday, September 17, 2008, 7 PM
At Woodward Park Library
944 E. Perrin
Fresno, CA 93720
Phone: 433-3135
Janice Stevens and Pat Hunter will discuss their new book, William Saroyan: Places in Time.
Copies will be available for purchase and autographing.
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Thursday, September 18, 2008, 7:00 PM
At the Fowler Branch Library
306 S. Seventh
Fowler, CA
Phone: 834-3114
Fresno historian William Secrest, Jr. will present a multi-media program entitled, Saroyan: The Man
and His Fresno. Learn how Saroyan, born in Fresno, traveled the world, rubbed elbows with
celebrities, and received international accolades for his writing.
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Saturday, September 20, 2008
Reader’s Theatre
Bear Mountain Library
30733 E. Kings Canyon
Squaw Valley, CA 93675
Potluck Dinner 6:00 PM
Program 6:45 PM
Free to the Public
Actors from the Woodward Shakespeare Festival will perform a reader's theater production of a
Saroyan work. A group discussion will follow the reader's theater. For more information contact
the library at (559) 332-2528.
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Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, September 26-28, 2008
Grand Armenian Festival: Salute to Saroyan!
Armenian Home of California
6720 E. Kings Canyon
Fresno, California
Friday: 5 PM-Midnight
Saturday: 10 AM-Midnight
Sunday: Noon-5 PM
Join the Armenian Cultural Foundation at the Armenian Home of California for their annual festival
celebrating Saroyan’s culture with traditional Armenian food and dance. Enjoy food, songs, and
dance while experiencing the harvesting of the grapes and preparing delicious purpoor. For more
information, contact the Armenian Cultural Foundation at (559) 233-2315.
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