#WomanLifeFreedom, Supporting the Uprising in Iran: Worldwide Day of Reading Iranian Literature, Saturday, December 10, 2022, 6:30pm
Iranians have been protesting since Sept 16 following the death of Mahsa/Zhina Amini in the custody of the so-called Iranian “morality police.” Their revolutionary uprising is centered around the slogan #WomanLifeFreedom, and they are demanding the toppling of the Iranian regime. More than 350 deaths, including 50 children, have so far been confirmed by independent human rights organizations, with the real numbers feared to be much higher. Around 14,000 people have also been arrested, and some detainees are unfortunately facing executions.
Ashes Literary and Arts Collective would like to invite you to a community reading of Iranian literature at Counterpath on Saturday, December 10, 6:30-9:30 pm. The event, free and open to the public, is part of a “Worldwide Reading of Iranian Literature” initiated by the International Literature Festival in Berlin on the occasion of Human Rights Day.
The worldwide readings aim to “send a signal to the brutal Iranian regime to end the violence and express solidarity with Iranian women who have been victims of discrimination and misogyny in recent decades. The Iranian women are harbingers of hope, hope not only for the Iranian people but for all of us who want a more livable future for all beings on this planet.”
At our gathering in Denver, we want to invite members of the audience to read from Iranian literary works of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. The readings could be done in Persian, English, or any other language you speak. To join the lineup of readers, please email ashesliteraryandartscollective@gmail.com.
The event will also include a live musical performance, and a sampling of Iranian food.
We hope you can join this literary gathering, a collective act of solidarity with Iranians in Iran and in our own community. (poupeh missaghi and Mollie Hosmer-Dillard, Ashes Literary and Arts Collective)
Location: Counterpath, 7935 East 14th Avenue, Denver, CO, 80220 (phone: 303-726-5889).
Day: Saturday, Dec 10, 2022
Time: 6:30 – 9:30 pm
** Below are some resources that can guide you to Persian literature in English translation, in case you don’t already have a text in mind you want to read from:
https://persiantranslated.com/public/index.php
https://aaww.org/100-essential-books-by-iranian-writers-an-introduction-nonfiction/#iranian-nonfiction
https://aaww.org/100-essential-books-by-iranian-writers-poetry-hybrid-works-anthologies/
https://aaww.org/100-essential-books-by-iranian-writers-classics-in-translation/
https://aaww.org/100-essential-books-by-iranian-writers-fiction/
https://wordswithoutborders.org/read/collection/november-2022-woman-life-freedom-notes-from-iran/
You can also search for “Persian” and/or “Iranian” and/or “Iran” in various journals, particularly in Asymptote, Words Without Borders, and World Literature Today.