Talk by Fatemeh Shams

Readings by Fatemeh Shams, Fatemeh Ekhtesari, Abdul Manan Bhat & Mehrin (Mir) Masud Elias

Introduction by Jamal J. Elias

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The Ghazal form celebrates the complexity of love, at once embracing its most divine, somber, and painful facets. Originating in 7th century Umayyad Arabia, this art form has since travelled across the globe, burrowing into the heart of cultural identity in South Asia, West Asia, Europe, and the U.S. Twelve Gates Arts is thrilled to convene topical experts & practitioners for a public discussion on this eminent literary tradition's history, evolution, and contemporary usage. After a brief introduction, Jamal J. Elias will moderate a discussion with our speaker Fatemeh Shams. The evening will also feature recitations of contemporary ghazal poems by Dr. Shams, as well as Fatemeh Ekhtesari, a leading young Iranian poet and cultural activist, and two emerging poets Abdul Manan Bhat, a PhD student in Religious Studies at Penn and Mehrin (Mir) Masud-Elias, in-house counsel for Penn Medicine’s Abramson Cancer Center.

Dr. Fatemeh Shams is Assistant Professor of Persian Literature at Penn, an award-winning poet from Iran, and a specialist in Persian literature.

Dr. Jamal J. Elias is Walter H. Annenberg Professor of the Humanities and Professor of Religious Studies at Penn, where he teaches about Islamic history, religion, culture, literature and art, with a focus on Western and South Asia.

Fatemeh Ekhtesari is a leading young Iranian poet and cultural activist living in exile in Norway, who was formerly imprisoned in Iran for her work, which has been censored and banned there.

Mehrin (Mir) Masud-Elias, who writes under the pen name Mir Elias, is a poet, lawyer and immigrant in the US from Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Abdul Manan Bhat is a poet and PhD student in the Department of Religious Studies at Penn and originally from Kashmir. He writes under the pen name alam, which means flag or a banner.