Concordia graduate MaryAnn Hayatian has some words of advice for any students grappling with doubt about their chosen career path.
“If you have a talent,” she said, “you’ve got to tell yourself that you cannot give up on it.”
This notion of perseverance is what helped Hayatian to follow her dream of becoming a published writer. Hayatian published her third piece of work in May 2006.
Love is Blind, But the Neighbors Ain’t tells the story of Lynna, a
Concordia student who struggles to find her way through a difficult romantic relationship.
Before publishing this story, Hayatian published a book of poetry The Age of Adolescence: Poetry. She also wrote a children’s story, Eden Anna and the Secret Closet.
Hayatian said she has been writing since she was about 12 years old. She started with poetry, and then moved on to short stories, children’s stories and plays.
Hayatian, who studied creative writing and art design at Concordia, said being a writer is definitely her chosen career. Although she found it difficult to get her work published at first, Hayatian said she felt the need to keep working at it.
Her book was published by Publish America in the U.S., and is available at a variety of online bookstores. She said Amazon.com is a good place to find her work. It is accessible, she said, from all over the world.
Hayatian chose to set her story for Love is Blind But the Neighbors Ain’t in the 70s.
“I like the 70s” she said.
Having a family member who had attended Concordia in the 70s was helpful to Hayatian in terms of research. She was able to use old yearbooks for reference, as well as first-hand stories from people who lived in Montreal during that time.
Most of the action in Hayatian’s story takes place on the Concordia SGW campus, or in the surrounding areas downtown. Hayatian said she had to call certain caf
