ملایان و نادر شاه افشار

نادر شاه بنیانگزار دودمان افشاریه شد و دوازده سال از سال 1114 تا 1126 خورشیدی [امسال سال 1390 است] پادشاه ایران بود. اینجا میخواهم تنها به بخش خاصی از زندگی نادر بپردازم که در تاریخ 1400 ساله ی ما نمونه اش ناچیز است. حكومت مذهبی/خرافاتی صفویان شیعه نخست توسط محمود افغان و سپس توسط نادر شاه افشار پس از 240 سال حكومت ِ توام با جنایت و تفرقه ‌افكنی مذهبی منقرض شد>>>

Rosvaie

Rosvaie, or scandal, is the name of a new play by Saam Theatre Company in London. The play is the love child of the director, Sousan Farrokhnia, and actors who never had any acting experience or training before. Farrokhnia, with more than 30 years of experience in theatre, once again proved to be a master in her field, turning the female cast into professionals in less than 6 weeks. The play is the story of five women sharing their unfruitful love lives with each other and the audience>>>

In Memory of Mom

To “bereave” is to live in a sad or lonely state – a state typically brought on by a loss or death. When a loving tie is severed, an emotional reaction which we call “grief” is set in motion. Grief and bereavement are what we are experiencing now. This commemoration is also intended to honor the memory of a woman who leaves behind a legacy of strength. That legacy should serve as an example for many>>>

My Father's Play

My father wrote a play. Before then, I hadn't known that it was possible to be sad about Americans. I hadn't known that it was all right to be sad about Americans, rather. I certainly hadn't known that it was beautiful, although I was beginning to see that sadness and beauty were closely related. In the play, there are men and women divorcing and re-marrying, with a regularity that to us was American>>>

طلسم شده

من برهنه به دنیا آمدم
لیک پوشیده از دنیا خواهم رفت
حرف هایت را بپوشان
بدنت را بپوشان >>>

گنبد واژگون و دوار

در سینه تنگ و خسته من
یک نکته نه! بلکه صد هزاران

رازیست که تاب گفتنم نیست
دردی است مرا که نیست درمان
>>>

Peace is War

Reflecting on the July 4th weekend, I'm struck by how we traditionally use the holiday to commemorate our war heroes. While I have tremendous respect for those who serve in the military, 21st century citizenship needs to reframe the meaning of nationalism and civic pride as a commemoration of Peace, not War. In the ecology of the new millennium, War is, more than ever, a zero-sum game for all involved. We are beginning to understand that there are no longer any winners in War. Instead, we must wage Peace>>>

سکوت= سهیم در جنایت

حال و روز بسیاری از زندانیان نگران کننده و وخیم است. انور خضری و کامران شيخه دو زندانی کرد در اعتصاب غذای طولانی به سر می‌برند و حال ايوب قنبر پوريان و حسین رونقی ملکی وخیم گزارش شده است. به اضافه نمونه‌های بسیار دیگری که در این مختصر نمی‌گنجد. و دردناک‌تر از همه این‌ها، خبر قتل عام‌های مخفی در زندان‌های ایران است که از مدت‌ها پیش شروع شده و هم‌چنان ادامه دارد>>>

Capturing Confinement

Internet: the megaphone of the people brought me the artwork of Tabriz-based photographer, Ghazale Ghazanfari. I first stumbled upon the dark textures and subtle emotions of her images on Iranian.com months ago, and the impression left was just as difficult to shake as tracking her down for an interview. The 24-years-old artist is completing her MA in Industrial Design in Tabriz: a kind and modest city in the far northwest corner of Iran near the borders of Turkey, Armenia and Azerbaijan. Her conceptual photos play on morbid backdrops of loneliness, abandonment, self-reflection >>>

If I shall rise...

Hamid Mosaddegh’s poem points to the fact that change may begin with one, but it will only lasts when a group joins hands. And I am grateful for a life-changing experience that came about through the help of a community. What began as a gift to my best friend, and later became a legacy to my three first generation children, is now the quest of a people. I am referring to my debut novel, Sky of Red Poppies, and to its recent nomination for the next "One Book, One San Diego">>>

Sonnet Ghazal

Hafez, the baker, could see what I mean;
If she were a spice, she’d be cinnamon.   
It’s both terrifying and exciting,
The idea that she’d see other men >>>