Dr. Sarah J. Donovan is the founder of Ethical ELA, a community for teacher-writers, and a 2024 Fellow for the Genocide Education Project. A former middle school English teacher and author, she advocates for humanizing literacy practices, genocide education, and poetry as witness. Her work bridges pedagogy, justice, and storytelling.
Sarah inspires us to write poems in recognition of the past and in celebration of the Armenian people, their voices, and their enduring culture. You can read her full prompt here. I’m sharing a celebration pantoum.
Armenian Culture Pantoum
elders are respected
children are revered
Hellenistic temples
intricate khachkars
children are revered
strong family values
intricate khachkars
lavash and harissa
strong family values
Yarkhushta marriage dance
lavash and harissa
Artsakh carpets
Yarkhushta marriage dance
Hellenistic temples
Artsakh carpets
elders are respected
Common Threads 
Kim, I have a blank page in my notebook with the lines numbered ready for a pantoum. It hasn’t happened yet, but your dedication to the form is inspiring. How you wove together the Armenian culture with your repetition and beautiful words is amazing. Thanks for challenging me every day to be a better poet.
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Margaret, thank you for these kind words. Today, I’m using the Shadorma form that you introduced in Poetry Friday recently. You are MY inspiration, friend!
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