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Let Me Tell You Where I've Been: New Writing by Women of the Iranian Diaspora

edited by Persis M. Karim
translated by Al Young

University of Arkansas Press, 2006
Paper: 978-1-55728-820-2 | Cloth: 978-1-55728-819-6 | eISBN: 978-1-61075-233-6
Library of Congress Classification PS508.I69L48 2006
Dewey Decimal Classification 810.809287089916

ABOUT THIS BOOK | AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY | REVIEWS | TOC | REQUEST ACCESSIBLE FILE

ABOUT THIS BOOK

Until recently, Iranian literature has overwhelmingly been the domain of men. But the new hybrid culture of diaspora Iranians has produced a prolific literature by women that reflects a unique perspective and voice. Let Me Tell You Where I've Been is an extensive collection of poetry, fiction, and nonfiction by women whose lives have been shaped and influenced by Iran's recent history, exile, immigration and the formation of new cultural identities in the United States and Europe. These writings represent an emerging and multi-cultural female sensibility. Unlike many flat media portrayals of Iranian women—as veiled, silenced—these writers offer a complex literary view of Iranian culture and its influences. These writers interrogate, challenge, and re-define notions of home and language and their work offers readers an experience of Iranian diaspora culture. Featuring over one hundred selections (two-thirds of which have never been published before) by more than fifty contributors--including such well-known writers as Gelareh Asayesh, Tara Bahrampour, Firoozeh Dumas, Roya Hakakian and Mimi Khalvati--the collection represents a substantial diversity of voices in this multicultural community. Divided into six sections, the book's themes of exile, family, culture resistance, and love, create a rich and textured view of the Iranian diaspora. The poems, short stories, and essays are suggestive of an important conversation about Iran, Iranian culture, the Persian and English languages, and the dual identities of many of its authors. This powerful collection is a tribute to the wisdom, insight, and sensitivity of women attempting to invent and articulate a literature of in-betweenness.

AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY

Persis M. Karim was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area by her Iranian father and French mother. She is an associate professor of English and Comparative Literature at San Jose State University. She has written numerous articles about Iranian-American literature and is coeditor and contributing author to A World Between: Poems, Short Stories and Essays by Iranian-Americans.

REVIEWS

“I’d never heard of Sholeh Wolpe or the late Susan Atefat-Peckham before this book; now I want to read everything they’ve ever written. Their poems are daring and wise, full of love, breathtakingly tender and hones. Do they write with a woman’s sensitivity? Absolutely. Do I feel as though I’m reading ‘woman’s literature’? Absoutely not. It’s deeper than that – both arresting and sublime in a way that transcends gender.” — Brad Buckholz, Austin American-Statesman “This is a surprising collection. . . . Persis Karim has located a community of sensitive and articulate cultural observers and mapped that explosion of creativity for us.” — Michael Beard, coeditor of Middle Eastern Literatures and author of Naguib Mahfouz: From Regional Fame to Global Recognition “[These writings] command our attention, not only for the range of their subject matter and literary artistry, but for representing a multiplicity of voices, the newest patch in this quilt of American culture. They are allegories of our enriched nation . . . the real thing.” — Zohreh T. Sullivan, author of Exiled Memories: Stories of Iranian Diaspora “In these tender and no-so-tender pages you’ll find the barely tellable story of what really happened to dreams deferred. Through vivid, sometimes spellbinding accounts they provide, these gifted writers speak powerfully to the subject of displacement.” — Al Young, from the Foreword “We have to thank Persis Karim for this wonderful book and for these powerful selections; they offer an alternative to the currently politicized and one-sided view of Iran and Iranian culture.” – Azar Nafisi, author of Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books "Might we present this stunning collection of voices to the U.S. government? Might this be the perfect moment for bridges of language and sensibility—delicious humanity—to define and connect us? Cast aside the grim proclamations of power and threat! Gratitude to Persis Karim for this healing tonic of pomegranate wisdom and pleasure." —Naomi Shihab Nye, poet and author of You & Yours, 19 Varieties of Gazelle: Poems of the Middle East "Iran is a land of paradoxes. It is also undergoing a momentous and profound transformation. The delightfully diverse group of women assembled in this important and timely anthology offers a panoramic view of this complexity and dynamism. Persis Karim ought to be congratulated." —Farzaneh Milani, director of Studies in Women and Gender at the University of Virginia, is the author of Veils and Words: The Emerging Voices of Iranian Women Writers

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Contents
Acknowledgments	000
Foreword by Al Young	000
Gratitudes	000
Introduction by Persis M. Karim	000
Home Stories
Autumn Letter by Susan Atefat-Peckham	000
Home Stories by Zara Houshmand	000
Dokhtar-e Amrika-i by Farnoosh Seifoddini	000
Dokhtar-e Irani by Farnoosh Seifoddini	000
Separation by Farnaz Fatemi	000
The Sun Is a Dying Star by Niloofar Kalaam	000
En Route to Persepolis by Amy Motlagh	000
Timing by Sheila Shirazi	000
Against the Kitchen White Wall by Michelle Koukhab	000
Road Trip by Shahrzad Zahedi	000
The Break by Gelareh Asayesh (from Saffron Sky)	000
Home by Shadi Ziaei	000
Persian Princess Insania by Leyla Momeny	000
Naderi by Amy Motlagh	000
Where Does My Language Lie? by Zjaleh Hajibashi	000
Inheritance by Mitra Parineh	000
Revolution 1979 by Tara Bahrampour	000
Portland, Oregon 1979 by Tara Bahrampour	000
With a Little Help from My Friends by Firoozeh Dumas (from Funny in Farsi)	000
Another Quiet New Year by Nika Khanjani	000
My Brother at the Canadian Border by Sholeh Wolp¿	000
1979 by PAZ	000
Captions by Layli Arbab Shirani	000
Arrivals and Departures by Sharon L. Parker	000
Excerpt from To See and See Again by Tara Bahrampour	000
For Tradition
For Tradition by Susan Atefat-Peckham	000
Sister by Farnaz Fatemi	000
Twin by Farnaz Fatemi	000
The Persian Bath by Michelle Koukhab	000
A Love Song by Parinaz Eleish	000
Pomegranates by Persis M. Karim	000
Passover by Amy Motlagh	000
Ajun by Mahru Elahi	000
Next Year in Cyprus by Tarssa Yazdani	000
Recovery by Nasrin Rahimieh	000
Baba's Passing; February 2005 by Persis M. Karim	000
Joys of a Simple Meal by Esther Kamkar	000
Raw Walnuts by Negin Neghabat	000
The Camel and the Cantaloupe by Michelle Koukhab	000
Ode to the Eggplant by Persis M. Karim	000
Torches by Susan Atefat-Peckham	000
Woman's Duty
Avenue Vali Asr by Susan Atefat-Peckham	000
Woman's Duty by Tara Fatemi	000
The Next Day Is Always So Still by Nika Khanjani	000
Waiting for Ulysses by Laleh Khalili	000
The woman has veto power by Haleh Hatami	000
On the Rooftop by Farnoosh Moshiri	000
If You Change Your Nose by Leyla Momeny	000
Iranian Women by Mojdeh Marashi	000
Love in a Time of Struggle by Azadeh Moaveni (from Lipstick Jihad)	000
Becoming a Woman by Elham Gheytanchi	000
The World Was a Couple by Katayoon Zandvakili	000
The Gift by Marjan Kamali	000
The Execution of Atefeh by Persis M. Karim	000
Bad by Sanaz Banu Nikaein	000
Summoning by Haleh Hatami	000
Masouleh by Parinaz Eleish	000
Words to Die For by Esther Kamkar	000
Fariba's Daughters by Susan Atefat-Peckham	000
Axis of Evil
Lower Manhattan by Susan Atefat-Peckham	000
Another Day and Counting by Zara Houshmand	000
Axis of Evil by Persis M. Karim	000
How Lucky Persimmons Are by Parinaz Eleish	000
Mamaan-bozorg by Farnoosh Seifoddini	000
In the Gutter by Sanaz Banu Nikaein	000
The Witness by Roxanne Varzi	000
American Again by Parissa Milani	000
Butcher Shop by Sholeh Wolp¿	000
Iranians v. Persians by Sanaz Banu Nikaein	000
Invitation to the Hungry Ghosts by Zara Houshmand	000
When Toys Are Us by Beatrice Motamedi	000
As Good as Any Other Day by Parinaz Eleish	000
Dawn on the Fall Equinox by Persis M. Karim	000
Instilling Shock and Awe by Farnoosh Seifoddini	000
Summer Day by Parinaz Eleish	000
Beyond
Sestinelle for Travelers by Susan Atefat-Peckham	000
The Best Reason to Write a Poem Is Still for Love by Farnaz Fatemi	000
Perfectly Parallel Mirrors by Laleh Khalili	000
Money Buys by Sanaz Banu Nikaein	000
Once by Zjaleh Hajibashi	000
Excerpt from Stones in the Garden by Layla Dowlatshahi	000
Stripes by Katayoon Zandvakili	000
Magical Chair of Nails: Becoming a Writer in a Second Language by Roya Hakakian
	000
Us Four by Sanaz Banu Nikaein	000
The Eglantine Deal by Katayoon Zandvakili	000
The Sandcastle by Firoozeh Kashani-Sabet	000
Ghazal by Mimi Khalvati	000
Mandala at Manzanar by Zara Houshmand	000
Beyond by Persis M. Karim	000
Only the Blue Remains Unchanged by Parinaz Eleish	000
Tales Left Untold
Night Conversations (Deep Are These Distances) by Susan Atefat-Peckham	000
Do You Miss Me? by Roya Hakakian	000
Lost Karbala by Haleh Hatami	000
Sing by Farnoosh Seifoddini	000
Earth and Water by Zara Houshmand	000
Tales Left Untold by Aphrodite D¿sir¿e Navab	000
Because of Hands and Bread by Esther Kamkar	000
Soleiman's Silence by Mehri Yalfani	000
Standing in a Mosque Contemplating Faith by Farnaz Fatemi	000
Sabze by Zarreh	000
Years Later by Parinaz Eleish	000
Native by Amanda Enayati	000
Unpacking by Zara Houshmand	000
Blessing by Mimi Khalvati	000
Green World through Broken Glass by HAALE	000
A Return by Kandi Tayebi	000
Blood by Azin Arefi	000
13 Days by Parissa Milani	000
Ari by Mahru Elahi	000
Let Me Tell You Where I've Been by Persis M. Karim	000
Cardamom and Hell by Haleh Hatami	000
Nazr by Zara Houshmand	000
Contributors	000

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