Winner of the 2021 Stan and Tom Wick Poetry Prize, Farnaz Fatemi, was invited to the Kiva auditorium on Oct. 20 to read select poems from her acclaimed book, “Sister Tongue.”
The collection of poetry, published by 91ֿ Press in August, tells the tale of the author’s Iranian-American upbringing, the depth of her ancestral roots and the complexities of being raised into two different communities speaking both English and Farsi.
“When I was a kid, I knew enough to know that people hated Iranians in Southern California in the late '70s,” she said. “I knew lots of things about my family overseas, but I didn’t know a lot about the country until I was older, and I think that speaks to some of the ignorance that still exists about Iran.”
Fatemi highlights her feelings of non-belonging and displacement within these two communities as a daughter of immigrants. Apropos of the name of the book, she also focuses on her unique experience as a twin sister and what that means as an Iranian-American.
Womanhood and sisterhood are a huge pillar of Fatemi’s poetry, and at the Kiva, she connected those experiences back to the issues women in Iran are facing now.
The recent of a 22-year-old Iranian woman for violating strict government-enforced dress codes has outraged communities across the world and ignited the very first women-led protest movement in Iran.
“What’s happening there right now is bringing a lot more information and education to us in the United States, and I’m glad for that,” Fatemi said. “Because many of the poems in the book really are about women, and many of them are about Iranian women, some of whom I met as strangers, and some of whom are my family that still lives there.”
While she continues to hold her identity close to her heart, Fatemi touches the hearts of many through her frequent poetry readings. She is slated to host readings in states like California, Tennessee, Michigan and Massachusetts in honor of her recent publication.
To learn more about Fatemi’s book “Sister Tongue,” or to find her upcoming events, please visit .
To read more about the Wick Poetry Center, please visit /wick.