Telebi takes translations beyond the text, creating multimedia projects based on translated poetry, drawing on the Iranian tradition of Naghali, or dramatic story-telling. She studied comparative literature and trained in theatre, now marrying the two skills to give Naghali (which traditionally dramatises Classical Persian poetry) new content, and fusing it with Western dramatic elements to reflect the Iranian-American experience in modern society.

IPS correspondent Omid Memarian spoke with Talebi about exile, censorship and the age-old relationship between literature and politics. Excerpts from the interview follow.