Astrid Kamalyan comes from a big, happy family and is the oldest of five. She spent most of her childhood in Armenia. As a child, she wished she could one day paint the beautiful mountains of Artsakh. Now she paints with words and writes for the most important people in the world: kids. Astrid holds an MBA degree from the American University of Armenia. She loves globetrotting with her husband and two sons. Astrid currently shares her time between Chicago and Yerevan, Armenia.

"I write about my culture and other topics that kindle my heart. The sense of childhood joy, wonder, and whimsy is what I want to share with my readers. The air in our mountains is the color of lavender and smells of wild thyme; the warmth of the sun is sometimes all you need for breakfast. My writing is informed by that feeling of lightness and illuminated by the warm Armenian sun. And this is how culture and joy connect for me and where it all meets in one place."

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Listen to Astrid say her name.

Books by Astrid Kamalyan