Immigrants & ExileMy Immigration AnniversaryMaman and I are coming up on our immigration anniversary to the United States. It used to be a day that I would celebrate. Celebrate the…Sep 24, 2020Sep 24, 2020
Immigrants & ExileFinding Privilege in QuarantineIn quarantine, my mother and grandmother recall their time in prison in Iran. They some similarities: an uncertain future, a sense of…May 15, 2020May 15, 2020
Immigrants & ExileNo War with Iran: An Immigrant PerspectiveI was born and raised in the bustling city of Tehran, Iran. We lived a comfortable life, one where my father worked an office job and my…Apr 16, 2020Apr 16, 2020
Immigrants & ExileForbidden VoiceIn the afternoons of my childhood in Tehran, my mother sang songs by well-known Persian female singers. These were traditional folk songs…Oct 18, 2019Oct 18, 2019
Immigrants & ExileThe Smell of LeavingThe smell of leaving is something you learn to get used to, like a new car when it has that particular, new smell during the first month…Oct 7, 2019Oct 7, 2019
Immigrants & ExileIn his silence, we growWe told our Baba that he could no longer drive because he will put everyone, including himself, in danger. He peacefully accepted this…Oct 3, 2019Oct 3, 2019
Immigrants & ExileWeighted LoveThe silence in my parent’s apartment is so grand that I find myself aching, unable to breathe. I swallow, but the knot in my throat is…Sep 27, 2019Sep 27, 2019
Immigrants & ExileEmbracing the NowWe get used to planning ahead, to looking forward to the future, to looking forward to the weekend. It seems that we are never quite in…Sep 11, 2019Sep 11, 2019
Immigrants & ExileLetter to an ArtistI hope that you are okay, but if you don’t feel okay, that’s okay too. I believe you will be one day.Sep 6, 2019Sep 6, 2019