Our Story
Country of Dust tells the stories of life in a changing Armenia. We are Armenia’s first narrative podcast.
Our show was conceived in the aftermath of the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war. We were surrounded by so many captivating, moving and deeply human stories, but we didn’t see them reflected in mainstream media. We realized that there was an urgent need to tell these stories – to document, to inform, but also, to build connections and empathy in a way that only good storytelling can do. This is why we started our podcast.
Our show’s name comes from the poem, “Փոշի Ազգ” (“The Country of Dust”) by Vahan Tekeyan. Tekeyan wrote the poem in the aftermath of the Armenian Genocide, but when we came across it a few years ago, it felt like it could have been written for us, today. The poem ends on a hopeful note:
Դիզուէ. փոշին լոկ այդպէս պիտի նորէն քար ըլլայ…
“Accumulate. Dust consolidates into stone.”
Country of Dust has been featured on CBC Radio, KQED and PRX. We won a 2024 Press Gazette Future of Media Award, and have been shortlisted for a One World Media Award and an International Women’s Podcast Award.
Our second season will launch in spring 2025!
Team
Country of Dust is made by a tight-knit team of producers. Between us, we have a diverse range of expertise and extensive experience producing podcasts in the United States and in Armenia.
Nyree Abrahamian
Producer
A poet, creative producer, and educator, Nyree was born and raised in Toronto, Canada, and now calls Armenia home. She is the co-founder and creative director of the Tumanyan International Storytelling Festival. Her poems are published in Protean Magazine, Mizna, Poetry Northwest, Nimrod International Journal, and others.
Jeremy Dalmas
Producer and Sound Designer
Jeremy is an audio producer who spent five years reporting with NPR-affiliate KALW in San Francisco and has worked with The Guardian, CBS, Wired and Vox. Since first coming to Armenia in 2008, Jeremy has made audio documentaries here for Counterpart International, and worked with EVN Report and the Media Initiatives Center.
Gohar Khachatryan
Producer
Born and raised in Yerevan, Gohar is the co-founder and co-host of Akanjogh, Armenia’s first feminist podcast. In addition to podcasting, she currently works with FemLibrary, a queer feminist collective, and teaches empowerment-based self-defense to women*, trans, and non-binary individuals across Armenia.
Featured On & Awards
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