A celebration of Persian voices and talent

FEATURED

Interview

A CONVERSATION WITH
ROSHI ROUZBEHANI

On art and her book, "50 Inspiring Iranian Women"

“Being an Iranian woman is an essential part of my identity…I decided to use my illustrations to elevate Iranian women’s triumphs and increase their visibility.”

Poetry

One Thousand
and One Nights

by Tracy Fuad

“When did I begin to have preferences // And when did what I tended to draw nearer to begin to blur”

Commentary

Rebel, Jester, Mystic, Poet: Contemporary Persians

The Mohammed Afkhami Collection

“Persian art shows how the past is always present for Iranians and how successfully they use traditional aspects of life and art as a foil to critique or comment on current conditions.”

Essay

OUR REVOLT

by Maryam Ghatee

“Word was that the professor came from a family of Khans—major landowners—from Sistan and Baluchestan who often settled in the more developed region of Khorasan with its temperate climate. I did not find this hard to believe, because he moved about as if every object and person belonged to him.”

Interview

A Conversation with Chef Nasim Alikhani of Sofreh

On Food, Love, and Memory

“Alikhani learned the language of food and love—and of mohabat and aramesh—from her earliest memories, and it is as much her native language as Persian is.”

Art & Photography

The Reflection Series

by Sanam Khani

“Who we are today is a reflection of our past and our given circumstances; our distinct variety of cultures are reflections of history and customs; the current status of our planet is a consequence of its past and its encounters.”

Our First Issue

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Commentary

NASRIN:
“OUR CHILDREN SHOULD NOT INHERENT SILENCE FROM US.”

An immersive portrait of Nasrin Sotoudeh

“To consider this solely a political documentary is to miss the rich human story that is given equal weight, and the source of the most touching moments of the film overall. Nasrin is undeniably also about love.”

Poetry

THREE POEMS
AND READINGS
FROM PILGRIM BELL

by Kaveh Akbar

“Show me one beast / that loves itself as relentlessly / as even the most miserable man. / I’ll wait.”

Fiction

MOTHERS & SISTERS

by Shideh Etaat

“After Rostam left it was the only thing that kept her sane: silence looking at the sky, silence in a dark room where she could pretend she didn’t exist at all, silence after her mother pestered her about finding a husband, about smiling more, about counting her blessings.”