Until recently, Iranian literature has overwhelmingly been the domain of men. But the new hybrid culture of diaspora Iranians has produced a prolific literature by women that reflects a unique perspective and voice. Let Me Tell You Where I've Been is an extensive collection of poetry, fiction, and nonfiction by women whose lives have been shaped and influenced by Iran's recent history, exile, immigration and the formation of new cultural identities in the United States and Europe. These writings represent an emerging and multi-cultural female sensibility. Unlike many flat media portrayals of Iranian womenaas veiled, silencedathese writers offer a complex literary view of Iranian culture and its influences. These writers interrogate, challenge, and re-define notions of home and language and their work offers readers an experience of Iranian diaspora culture.

Featuring over one hundred selections (two-thirds of which have never been published before) by more than fifty contributors--including such well-known writers as Gelareh Asayesh, Tara Bahrampour, Firoozeh Dumas, Roya Hakakian and Mimi Khalvati--the collection represents a substantial diversity of voices in this multicultural community. Divided into six sections, the book's themes of exile, family, culture resistance, and love, create a rich and textured view of the Iranian diaspora. The poems, short stories, and essays are suggestive of an important conversation about Iran, Iranian culture, the Persian and English languages, and the dual identities of many of its authors. This powerful collection is a tribute to the wisdom, insight, and sensitivity of women attempting to invent and articulate a literature of in-betweenness.

"The diversity of voices represented in this stunning collection of poetry, fiction and nonfiction by women of Iranian descent shatters their narrow image in the U.S. Though none are well known, most of the 53 authors live in the U.S. and 15 have been published in journals if not books. One writes about a woman's relationship with her chador. Another remembers her desire, as a young girl, to distance herself from the 'old-world values' espoused by her parents. A woman who sought refuge in Germany conveys the longing she felt to return to her birthplace by detailing a market scene and how the taste of raw walnuts made her feel at home again. Like other migrs, the women who fled Iran after the 1979 revolution have continued to feel strong ties with their homeland. Many of those now living in the U.S., Canada or the U.K. have grappled with such feelings in an era when cars in the U.S. were emblazoned with bumper stickers reading 'Iranians Go Home' and 'We Play Cowboys and Iranians.' Though many contributions avoid politics, several writers illustrate heartbreaking incidents of stereotyping that reveal the struggle of facing pervasive social suspicion. Touching on universal themes of love and loss, exile and longing, politics and war, this collection derives its cumulative power from its authors' subtle, uniquely female perceptions. (June)" Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

Karim (English and comparative literature, San Jose State U.), whose father is Iranian, presents an anthology of writing by women of the Iranian diaspora that compiles about 100 selections of poetry, fiction, memoir, and nonfiction by 50 contributors, such as Susan Atefat-Peckham, Tara Bahrampour, Firoozeh Dumas, Azadeh Moaveni, and Farnoosh Moshiri. As a means to engage the ideas of cultural identity and Persian vs. Western representation, the following themes are singled out: home, exile and unhomeliness; family, tradition, and ritual; women's roles, experiences, and resistance; politics, resistance, and war; movement beyond Iran and Iranian culture; and longing and love.
Annotation ©2006 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Karim (English and comparative literature, San Jose State U.), whose father is Iranian, presents an anthology of writing by women of the Iranian diaspora that compiles about 100 selections of poetry, fiction, memoir, and nonfiction by 50 contributors, such as Susan Atefat-Peckham, Tara Bahrampour, Firoozeh Dumas, Azadeh Moaveni, and Farnoosh Moshiri. As a means to engage the ideas of cultural identity and Persian vs. Western representation, the following themes are singled out: home, exile and unhomeliness; family, tradition, and ritual; women's roles, experiences, and resistance; politics, resistance, and war; movement beyond Iran and Iranian culture; and longing and love. Annotation ©2006 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Persis Karim collects poems and prose by women of exile and immigration.

An anthology of writings by an emerging generation of Iranian women in exile features more than one hundred selections, many of which have never before been published, by Gelareh Asayesh, Tara Bahrampour, Firoozeh Dumas, Roya Hakakian, and many others, who speak out on the subjects of exile, family, love, gender, and resistance. Simultaneous.