Association of Iranian American Writers

On Sunday, March 7, 2010, the Association of Iranian American Writers will host a literary reading and musical performance in honor of Norouz, the Iranian New Year, and in recognition of the powerful role of writers, artists and journalists in Iran’s “Green Movement.” Donations from this event will be made to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), an international organization that has been working since the June 2009 Iranian elections to free jailed journalists and journalists who have had to flee Iran to avoid persecution.

The afternoon of readings and music will take place from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Maude Fife Room located on the third floor of Wheeler Hall, room number 315 at UC Berkeley. Readers will be:

Poetry by Farnaz Fatemi, Shideh Etaat
Fiction by Laleh Khadivi (author of The Age of Orphans),
Siamak Vossoughi, Shokoofeh Rajabzadeh

Reporting on CPJ's activities on behalf of Iranian journalists, AIAW member Nazy Kaviani will talk about the status of jailed Iranian journalists. Bay Area Iranian-American writers will read from their work, including poetry and fiction that highlights the intersection between Iranian culture and American life. Aleph Null, a Persian jazz fusion group whose music combines Middle Eastern and Asian influences, will also perform. Books by AIAW writers and CDs by Aleph Null will be available for purchase.

The reading is hosted by AIAW with the co-sponsorship of the UC Berkeley Department of English, Omid Advocates, United4Iran, the Iranian Student Alliance in America (ISAA). AIAW is a national organization dedicated to promoting the work of fiction and non-fiction writers, poets, journalists, photojournalists, and artists who work with words. More information on AIAW is available at: //www.iranianamericanwriters.org. 

For more information, please contact:
Persis Karim, AIAW Co-director persisk@yahoo.com
Parissa Ebrahimzadeh, AIAW Board Member parissae@gmail.com
Media calls only: 510-847-2817/562-397-7794