Join us for an informal teach-in focused on the current uprisings in Iran, where we ask: how do we oppose imperialism while also supporting the Iranian people's growing opposition to the Islamic Republic? How can we assess the situation on the ground in the midst of media misinformation and internet blackouts? What does solidarity with people inside Iran look like right now?

After that, we will move into a circle where we will, to the extent people are comfortable, share where we are now. We'll spend time together holding the pain, hope, and anger. Contradictory feelings are often forged in grief. We will ask each other questions about our needs, how we each want to support Iranians in Iran, and what we each may might want in the future.

Come with curiosity, openness, and a willingness to listen, share, and learn.

___

Neda Toloui-Semnani is an author, journalist, podcaster, and storyteller. Her book They Said They Wanted Revolution: A Memoir of My Parents was published in 2021 by Little A. Currently, she's an assistant teaching professor of Broadcast journalism and an affiliate with the Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at The Pennsylvania State University.

Dr. Negar Razavi is a political anthropologist by training, whose research examines the role of Middle East policy experts in DC shaping and sustaining America's Forever Wars in the SWANA region broadly and against Iran specifically. Her work sits at the intersections of critical security studies, anthropology, gender studies, and global SWANA studies.

Join us as we hold space for the pain of the Iranian diaspora community: have a coffee or tea, talk, sit, and allow art to nourish us.

Join us for an evening in community as we hold space for one another's pain, and share our love for the Iranian people and all people who are suffering, while healing through togetherness and art.

• Music performed by violist and tonbak player, Kimia Hesabi

• Hot tea and coffee served on cozy rugs by Ballstonian by Isa

• Craft activities and backgammon at Kucheh

• Light snacks and water

• A candlelight vigil to peacefully honor those who we lost, including Iranians, and members of the immigrant community here in the United States.

We will also be raising funds for an Iranian children's charity as well as a local DMV area Iranian family that has been separated by ICE and needs financial support for living and legal expenses.

This event is free and open to the public, but please donate what you can to help us support the causes listed above (we will split the donations 50/50 between them).

Join us for Kucheh Kollective’s monthly Book Klub event! We will be reading and discussing For the Sun After Long Nights by Fatemeh Jamalpour and Nilo Tabrizy.

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While the book will be a starting point for our discussions, this book club is not meant to be academically rigorous or intimidating, but rather a safe space for community and connection. We encourage readers and non-readers alike to join!

Discussions will consider the intersection between the themes from the selected book and our personal and emotional experiences. Our time together includes:

• Group sharing

• Small group sharing

• Tea and Sweets (feel free to bring your own snack!)

Please read or listen to the selected book in advance. If you register and are unable to complete the book prior to the event or unable to attend for any reason, please contact Kucheh Kollective (kuchehkollective@gmail.com) so another individual may have the opportunity to attend.

By registering for Book Klub, please note you will receive emails from the organizers from the Kucheh Kollective email (kuchehkollective@gmail.com) prior to and after the event.

While this is a free event, we encourage you to consider making a donation if you can! 100% of the donations will be invested into the future of Book Klub.

_____________

About the Facilitators

Anita Farsad is a writer and facilitator based in Washington DC. Through poetry, essays, and fiction, she explores themes including memory, identity, and migration.

Mina M. Jafari is an artist based in Washington, DC and co-owner of Kucheh Art Studio + Shop. Her art is rooted in Iranian culture, and is a way for her to express her political and feminist point of view.

Join us for a relaxed, beginner-friendly bookmark making workshop where you’ll design and print your own set of simple linocut bookmarks. Because this is a focused two-hour session, we’ll guide you toward creating clean, minimal designs that work beautifully at a small scale. Think of a favorite word, a short phrase, a symbolic motif, or an iconic image inspired by a beloved writer or book.

You’ll learn the basics of carving a relief block safely and effectively, then hand-print a small set of bookmarks using your finished design.

You’ll head home with a set of hand-printed bookmarks and the carved block you created, which you can reuse anytime. All materials are provided, and no experience is needed. Tea will be served, and the workshop is kept intentionally small for individualized guidance.

Celebrate the end of the year with Eaton. Gather in Eaton House, our creative coworking space and artistic hub. Learn more about what we're about and meet some of the innovators and changemakers that make up the Eaton community. Happy Hour from 5pm to 8pm, with activations and offerings from Eaton partners, collaborators and community members, including:

• Chair massages from Eaton Wellness (sign up at check-in desk at arrival. first come, first serve)

• Art and interactive print making with Kucheh

• Live collage art from Khadija Jahmila

• Ceramic goods from Black Pepper Paperie Co. (whose work is featured in Eaton Hotel guest rooms)

• Chair massages from Eaton Wellness (sign up at check-in desk at arrival. first come, first serve)

• Live music from Free Music artists, including Krista O'Connell and Marissa Zechinato (Free Music visual and music installation on display in Eaton House)

• Holiday Glass in Session cocktail class from Eaton partner Booze Bruvas 

• Art and Culture tours

• Photos with the Re:Spirited Tree (Eaton's sustainable holiday tree, located in hotel lobby) -  Plus vodka samples from Fou-Dre Vodka (Re:Spirited partner)

• Season of Giving Raffle (with prizes including stays at Eaton DC, free tickets, merch and more!)

...and more to be announced!

Yalda Market returns on Saturday, December 13th, from 3pm to 7pm at the Brookland Arts Walk!

Begin the coldest season by warming up at our annual community gathering and celebration of the Winter Solstice! This year we are joined by more than thirty food and art vendors, a continuous DJ set, and performances! Plus plenty of hands-on activities for children, including button making, stamp printing, and more. Stay tuned here for more about our vendors and activities—we’re excited to share what we have in store!

Don’t miss a beautiful evening in community, with fun for the whole family. Yalda Market is free and open to the public. We can’t wait to see you there!

Join us for a hands-on textile printing workshop where you’ll learn how to carve your own relief block and transform it into a repeating pattern on fabric. We’ll begin with an introduction to designing for textiles—how motifs behave when repeated, how to plan for rhythm and movement, and how to translate your ideas into a carve-able block. You’ll then carve your design and explore different ways to print it onto fabric using textile ink and traditional hand-printing techniques.

Throughout the session, you’ll have time to experiment with pattern placement and layout as you create your own custom-printed piece. By the end of the workshop, you’ll take home a beautifully patterned tea towel printed entirely by hand, as well as the carved block you created, which you can reuse for future textile or paper projects.

All materials are provided, and no prior experience is needed. Tea will be served to keep the atmosphere relaxed and welcoming. To ensure plenty of individual guidance, the workshop is limited to 4 participants.

Join us for Kucheh Kollective’s monthly Book Klub event! We will be reading and discussing The Book Censor’s Library by Bothayna Al-Essa.

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While the book will be a starting point for our discussions, this book club is not meant to be academically rigorous or intimidating, but rather a safe space for community and connection. We encourage readers and non-readers alike to join!

Discussions will consider the intersection between the themes from the selected book and our personal and emotional experiences. Our time together includes:

• Group sharing

• Small group sharing

• Tea and Sweets (feel free to bring your own snack!)

Please read or listen to the selected book in advance. If you register and are unable to complete the book prior to the event or unable to attend for any reason, please contact Kucheh Kollective (kuchehkollective@gmail.com) so another individual may have the opportunity to attend.

By registering for Book Klub, please note you will receive emails from the organizers from the Kucheh Kollective email (kuchehkollective@gmail.com) prior to and after the event.

While this is a free event, we encourage you to consider making a donation if you can! 100% of the donations will be invested into the future of Book Klub.

_____________

About the Facilitators

Anita Farsad is a writer and facilitator based in Washington DC. Through poetry, essays, and fiction, she explores themes including memory, identity, and migration.

Mina M. Jafari is an artist based in Washington, DC and co-owner of Kucheh Art Studio + Shop. Her art is rooted in Iranian culture, and is a way for her to express her political and feminist point of view.

Join us for a hands-on linocut relief printmaking workshop where you’ll create your own set of custom stationery or cards from start to finish. We’ll begin with an introduction to the fundamentals of linocut.

Learn how to plan your design, safely carve your block, and achieve a clean pull on your prints. You’ll then print a small collection of cards or stationery using your own carved stamp, experimenting with layout, repetition, and ink application.

By the end of the workshop, you’ll not only leave with a beautifully crafted set of handmade stationery, but also the linocut stamp you carved yourself, which you can continue using at home to build out your collection. All materials are provided, and no prior experience is required. Tea will be served to keep the session cozy and relaxed. This is an intimate workshop limited to 4 participants to ensure plenty of personalized guidance.

Join us for Kucheh Kollective’s monthly Book Klub event! We will be reading and discussing I’ll Tell You When I’m Home by Hala Alyan.

_____________

While the book will be a starting point for our discussions, this book club is not meant to be academically rigorous or intimidating, but rather a safe space for community and connection. We encourage readers and non-readers alike to join!

Discussions will consider the intersection between the themes from the selected book and our personal and emotional experiences. Our time together includes:

• Group sharing

• Small group sharing

• Tea and Sweets (feel free to bring your own snack!)

Please read or listen to the selected book in advance. If you register and are unable to complete the book prior to the event or unable to attend for any reason, please contact Kucheh Kollective (kuchehkollective@gmail.com) so another individual may have the opportunity to attend.

By registering for Book Klub, please note you will receive emails from the organizers from the Kucheh Kollective email (kuchehkollective@gmail.com) prior to and after the event.

While this is a free event, we encourage you to consider making a donation if you can! 100% of the donations will be invested into the future of Book Klub.

_____________

About the Facilitators

Anita Farsad is a writer and facilitator based in Washington DC. Through poetry, essays, and fiction, she explores themes including memory, identity, and migration.

Mina M. Jafari is an artist based in Washington, DC and co-owner of Kucheh Art Studio + Shop. Her art is rooted in Iranian culture, and is a way for her to express her political and feminist point of view.

Join us for a vibrant evening celebrating Iranian art, music, and cuisine at Eaton Hotel in Washington, DC.

Experience an array of engaging performances and presentations, from live classical and contemporary Iranian music to visual arts and interactive cultural activities. This special night is designed to bring together the sounds, tastes, and sights of Iran in a lively gathering that fosters community and connection.

Stay tuned for tickets, coming soon.

Join us at Kucheh for a special screening of The Dawn is Too Far: Stories of Iranian-American Life, a poetic and deeply human portrait of Iranian Americans who have made the San Francisco Bay Area their home over the past five decades.

We’re honored to welcome filmmaker Persis Karim for an in-person Q&A following the screening — an opportunity to hear directly about the making of the film and the stories it brings to light.

—

The Dawn is Too Far: Stories of Iranian-American Life poetically narrates the story of a community of Iranian Americans who have made the San Francisco Bay Area their home over the past five decades. The film seeks to expand our understanding of Iranian immigration — what it means to leave home and country — and live through the episodes of turbulent histories of dissent, revolution, war, and separation — and reinvent oneself in a new place, country, and culture.

The Dawn is Too Far does not paint a story of salvation and happy assimilation, but rather seeks to identify the complex ways that members of the Bay Area's Iranian diaspora community have navigated the challenges and traumas of history—both Iranian and American — to reinvent themselves and tell their own stories; these as yet untold stories build on a longer history of Iranian immigration to Northern California, where Iranians as students, activists, artists, draw on as well as influence the larger culture of the Bay Area. This community and all that it has faced, offers a more nuanced story of the Iranian diaspora—the ways that this community enriches and enlivens the region where they live, work, and build families and community.

The Dawn is Too Far undermines the tired and overplayed news headlines that are dominated by narratives of enmity and mistrust between the government of Iran and the U.S., to offer a more humane understanding of how people's lives and the sacrifices they make are part of the larger story of immigration.

—

Title: The Dawn is Too Far: Stories of Iranian-American Life
Release Date: Fall 2024
Country: USA
Age: 12A
Genre: Documentary
Feature Runtime: 55:21 minutes
Co-Directors: Persis Karim and Soumyaa K. Behrens
Co-Producers: Persis Karim and Soumyaa K. Behrens
Executive Producer: Persis Karim

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Persis Karim has endeavored for the last 28 years to create a more nuanced and full picture of Iran and its people in her work as a professor of literature first at San Jose State University, and more recently at San Francisco State University, where she taught Comparative and World Literature and served as director of the Center for Iranian Diaspora Studies from 2017-2025. Her work as a literary scholar included editing three anthologies of Iranian diaspora literature, and penning numerous articles about Iranian diaspora literature and culture for academic journals. She just one month ago, retired, and is looking forward to writing more poetry, as well as working on her family memoir about her parents' experiences living in occupied France and Iran during World War II and eventual immigration to the US. "The Dawn Is Too Far" is her first film and she very much hopes it offers a different and more thoughtful view of the Iranian immigrant experience than is often portrayed or rendered invisible in the media.

Join us for Kucheh Kollective’s monthly Book Klub event! We will be reading and discussing The Other Americans by Laila Lalami.

_____________

While the book will be a starting point for our discussions, this book club is not meant to be academically rigorous or intimidating, but rather a safe space for community and connection. We encourage readers and non-readers alike to join!

Discussions will consider the intersection between the themes from the selected book and our personal and emotional experiences. Our time together includes:

• Group sharing

• Small group sharing

• Tea and Sweets (feel free to bring your own snack!)

Please read or listen to the selected book in advance. If you register and are unable to complete the book prior to the event or unable to attend for any reason, please contact Kucheh Kollective (kuchehkollective@gmail.com) so another individual may have the opportunity to attend.

By registering for Book Klub, please note you will receive emails from the organizers from the Kucheh Kollective email (kuchehkollective@gmail.com) prior to and after the event.

While this is a free event, we encourage you to consider making a donation if you can! 100% of the donations will be invested into the future of Book Klub.

_____________

About the Facilitators

Anita Farsad is a writer and facilitator based in Washington DC. Through poetry, essays, and fiction, she explores themes including memory, identity, and migration.

Mina M. Jafari is an artist based in Washington, DC and co-owner of Kucheh Art Studio + Shop. Her art is rooted in Iranian culture, and is a way for her to express her political and feminist point of view.

Join us for Kucheh Kollective’s monthly Book Klub event! We will be reading and discussing Madonna in a Fur Coat by Sabahattin Ali.

_____________

While the book will be a starting point for our discussions, this book club is not meant to be academically rigorous or intimidating, but rather a safe space for community and connection. We encourage readers and non-readers alike to join!

Discussions will consider the intersection between the themes from the selected book and our personal and emotional experiences. Our time together includes:

• Group sharing

• Small group sharing

• Tea and Sweets (feel free to bring your own snack!)

Please read or listen to the selected book in advance. If you register and are unable to complete the book prior to the event or unable to attend for any reason, please contact Kucheh Kollective (kuchehkollective@gmail.com) so another individual may have the opportunity to attend.

By registering for Book Klub, please note you will receive emails from the organizers from the Kucheh Kollective email (kuchehkollective@gmail.com) prior to and after the event.

While this is a free event, we encourage you to consider making a donation if you can! 100% of the donations will be invested into the future of Book Klub.

_____________

About the Facilitators

Anita Farsad is a writer and facilitator based in Washington DC. Through poetry, essays, and fiction, she explores themes including memory, identity, and migration.

Mina M. Jafari is an artist based in Washington, DC and co-owner of Kucheh Art Studio + Shop. Her art is rooted in Iranian culture, and is a way for her to express her political and feminist point of view.

Play backgammon at Kucheh! Don’t know how to play? You have the option of learning.

If you know the rules, sign up for the tournament. There will be a prize for first place, snacks, beverages, and art for players and spectators to enjoy throughout the evening. You will also have a chance to use a manual press to take home a work of art.

Purchase your tickets and learn more about the event on Eventbrite using the button at the top of the page.

Join us for Kucheh Kollective’s monthly Book Klub event! We will be reading and discussing Good Girl by Aria Aber.

_____________

While the book will be a starting point for our discussions, this book club is not meant to be academically rigorous or intimidating, but rather a safe space for community and connection. We encourage readers and non-readers alike to join!

Discussions will consider the intersection between the themes from the selected book and our personal and emotional experiences. Our time together includes:

• Group sharing

• Small group sharing

• Tea and Sweets (feel free to bring your own snack!)

Please read or listen to the selected book in advance. If you register and are unable to complete the book prior to the event or unable to attend for any reason, please contact Kucheh Kollective (kuchehkollective@gmail.com) so another individual may have the opportunity to attend.

By registering for Book Klub, please note you will receive emails from the organizers from the Kucheh Kollective email (kuchehkollective@gmail.com) prior to and after the event.

While this is a free event, we encourage you to consider making a donation if you can! 100% of the donations will be invested into the future of Book Klub.

_____________

About the Facilitators

Anita Farsad is a writer and facilitator based in Washington DC. Through poetry, essays, and fiction, she explores themes including memory, identity, and migration.

Mina M. Jafari is an artist based in Washington, DC and co-owner of Kucheh Art Studio + Shop. Her art is rooted in Iranian culture, and is a way for her to express her political and feminist point of view.

Join us for Kucheh Kollective’s monthly Book Klub event! We will be reading and discussing Perfect Victims and the Politics of Appeal by Mohammed el-Kurd.

_____________

While the book will be a starting point for our discussions, this book club is not meant to be academically rigorous or intimidating, but rather a safe space for community and connection. We encourage readers and non-readers alike to join!

Discussions will consider the intersection between the themes from the selected book and our personal and emotional experiences. Our time together includes:

• Group sharing

• Small group sharing

• Tea and Sweets (feel free to bring your own snack!)

Please read or listen to the selected book in advance. If you register and are unable to complete the book prior to the event or unable to attend for any reason, please contact Kucheh Kollective (kuchehkollective@gmail.com) so another individual may have the opportunity to attend.

By registering for Book Klub, please note you will receive emails from the organizers from the Kucheh Kollective email (kuchehkollective@gmail.com) prior to and after the event.

While this is a free event, we encourage you to consider making a donation if you can! 100% of the donations will be invested into the future of Book Klub.

_____________

About the Facilitators

Anita Farsad is a writer and facilitator based in Washington DC. Through poetry, essays, and fiction, she explores themes including memory, identity, and migration.

Mina M. Jafari is an artist based in Washington, DC and co-owner of Kucheh Art Studio + Shop. Her art is rooted in Iranian culture, and is a way for her to express her political and feminist point of view.

Kucheh invites you to an evening of art, film, and conversation centered on No Other Land, the Oscar-winning documentary that captures the urgency of life under occupation in Palestine and the collective resistance of those fighting for their land and future.

The evening will begin one hour before the screening at 6:30pm with a community art-making activity inspired by themes of land, memory, and liberation. The screening event officially begins at 7:30pm.

“This film made by a Palestinian-Israeli collective shows the destruction of the occupied West Bank's Masafer Yatta by Israeli soldiers and the alliance that develops between the Palestinian activist Basel and Israeli journalist Yuval. For half a decade, Basel Adra, a Palestinian activist, films his community of Masafer Yatta being destroyed by Israel's occupation, as he builds an unlikely alliance with an Israeli journalist who wants to join his fight. Learn more at supportmasaferyatta.com”

Following the screening, we will hold a brief, informal discussion over tea and sweets to reflect on the film and the stories it tells for those who want to stay and chat.

Tickets will be available through the Gathr platform.

All proceeds go directly to the filmmakers in support of their work. Everyone is welcome.

Join us for Kucheh Kollective’s monthly Book Klub event! We will be reading and discussing Fundamentally by Nussaibah Younis.

_____________

While the book will be a starting point for our discussions, this book club is not meant to be academically rigorous or intimidating, but rather a safe space for community and connection. We encourage readers and non-readers alike to join!

Discussions will consider the intersection between the themes from the selected book and our personal and emotional experiences. Our time together includes:

• Group sharing

• Small group sharing

• Tea and Sweets (feel free to bring your own snack!)

Please read or listen to the selected book in advance. If you register and are unable to complete the book prior to the event or unable to attend for any reason, please contact Kucheh Kollective (kuchehkollective@gmail.com) so another individual may have the opportunity to attend.

By registering for Book Klub, please note you will receive emails from the organizers from the Kucheh Kollective email (kuchehkollective@gmail.com) prior to and after the event.

While this is a free event, we encourage you to consider making a donation if you can! 100% of the donations will be invested into the future of Book Klub.

_____________

About the Facilitators

Anita Farsad is a writer and facilitator based in Washington DC. Through poetry, essays, and fiction, she explores themes including memory, identity, and migration.

Mina M. Jafari is an artist based in Washington, DC and co-owner of Kucheh Art Studio + Shop. Her art is rooted in Iranian culture, and is a way for her to express her political and feminist point of view.

Join us at Kucheh for an intimate evening with Neda Toloui-Semnani, the acclaimed author of They Said They Wanted Revolution and an Emmy Award–winning journalist whose work bridges personal memory, political history, and diasporic identity.

Set in the cozy, community-driven atmosphere of our art studio, this event is more than a reading—it’s a conversation. A gathering. A space for aspiring writers, curious readers, activists, and members of the Iranian diaspora and beyond to come together and learn from Neda’s journey as both a writer and a witness.

Neda’s memoir chronicles the reverberations of the Iranian Revolution through generations and across continents. Her work speaks to exile, belonging, resistance, and the complexities of inheritance—making this evening especially meaningful for anyone interested in the role of narrative in shaping identity and movement.

This event will unfold organically, with space for dialogue, questions, and shared reflection. Whether you’re a writer in the making, someone navigating diasporic identity, or simply drawn to the power of storytelling in community, we welcome you to bring your voice and presence into the circle.

Celebrate the moms in your life with a hands-on card printing activity at Kucheh art studio and shop! During our regular Saturday shop hours, stop by and create a one-of-a-kind Mother’s Day card using our collection of pre-carved stamps and high-quality materials. For just $5, you can print a beautiful card to take home—perfect for gifting to a special mom or keeping as a sweet memento. All materials are provided, and no experience is needed. Come get creative with us!

Play in a backgammon tournament at Kucheh!

If you know the rules, sign up for the tournament. If not, come play for fun and learn the game! There will be a prize for first place, snacks, beverages, and art for players and spectators to enjoy throughout the event. You will also have a chance to press and take home a work of handmade art from the studio!

Join us for Kucheh Kollective’s monthly Book Klub event! We will be reading and discussing One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This by Omar El Akkad.

_____________

While the book will be a starting point for our discussions, this book club is not meant to be academically rigorous or intimidating, but rather a safe space for community and connection. We encourage readers and non-readers alike to join!

Discussions will consider the intersection between the themes from the selected book and our personal and emotional experiences. Our time together includes:

• Group sharing

• Small group sharing

• Tea and Sweets (feel free to bring your own snack!)

Please read or listen to the selected book in advance. If you register and are unable to complete the book prior to the event or unable to attend for any reason, please contact Kucheh Kollective (kuchehkollective@gmail.com) so another individual may have the opportunity to attend.

By registering for Book Klub, please note you will receive emails from the organizers from the Kucheh Kollective email (kuchehkollective@gmail.com) prior to and after the event.

While this is a free event, we encourage you to consider making a donation if you can! 100% of the donations will be invested into the future of Book Klub.

_____________

About the Facilitators

Anita Farsad is a writer and facilitator based in Washington DC. Through poetry, essays, and fiction, she explores themes including memory, identity, and migration.

Mina M. Jafari is an artist based in Washington, DC and co-owner of Kucheh Art Studio + Shop. Her art is rooted in Iranian culture, and is a way for her to express her political and feminist point of view.

Our annual celebration of Springtime in Washington, DC is coming soon! Shopping from local artisans, outstanding food, and performances for the whole family.

Learn the basics of linocut carving and printing in one 3-hour session with a professional artist. All experience levels are welcome.

This class is an opportunity to learn to get creative, develop a plan and design, and make a bold work of art using linocut. You will be guided and learn the complete linoleum carving and printing process, and will leave with a series of prints and your carved printing block. All materials are included with your registration, including but not limited to linocut blocks, carving tools, handles, brayers, tracing paper, printmaking paper, palette knives, gloves, rags, sketching materials, and inspiration materials.

About the Artist:

Mina Michelle Jafari is a multi-disciplinary artist, with over a decade of professional experience with creating digital art, paintings, screenprinting, and linocut printmaking. She has degrees in Government & Politics and Persian Studies from the University of Maryland College Park, and grew up in the Washington, DC area.

Donate any amount to RSVP!

We are excited to host Afarin Ordubadi Bellisario to discuss her new novel, Silenced Whispers. Come with your questions about the book, and stay to chat over tea and get your copy signed. Books will also be available for purchase at the event.

“Silenced Whispers tells the story of an Iranian woman's battle for freedom — personal and national — amid profound societal changes, and her forbidden love for a Russian reformer. It explores such themes as gaining agency, search for identity amidst transformation, and the clash between individual desires and societal needs at a time of profound change. These themes remain relevant in today's rapidly changing society, shedding light on issues such as East-West relations and the over hundred years of Iranian women’s struggle for independence.”

About the author: Afarin Bellisario was born and raised in Tehran in a family with its feet in the past and its head in the future: whereas her grandmothers could barely read, her university-educated father and uncles were prominent members of Iran's new technocratic elite. Her great-grandfather had 25 wives and concubines; she holds a PhD from MIT. She perceives this as progress. She began writing professionally in major women and youth publications and the literary magazine Ferdowsi at the age of 14, in pre-revolutionary Tehran. She came to the US to study and stayed when the Islamic Revolution happened. Most of her professional career has been spent in the high-tech world in both technical and business capacities. But she has continued writing. In 2013, her essay "Movies with My Aunt" was published in the anthology Love & Pomegranates, edited by M. N. Sayers. The Wall Street Journal and The Boston Globe have published several of her op-eds, and she writes regularly about the clash between tradition and modernity on Medium (Counterview). Through her writing, she actively seeks to create a conversation around the themes covered in her book, Silenced Whispers.

Join us for Kucheh Kollective’s monthly Book Klub event! We will be reading and discussing Yellowface by R. F. Kuang.

_____________

While the book will be a starting point for our discussions, this book club is not meant to be academically rigorous or intimidating, but rather a safe space for community and connection. We encourage readers and non-readers alike to join!

Discussions will consider the intersection between the themes from the selected book and our personal and emotional experiences. Our time together includes:

• Group sharing

• Small group sharing

• Tea and Sweets (feel free to bring your own snack!)

Please read or listen to the selected book in advance. If you register and are unable to complete the book prior to the event or unable to attend for any reason, please contact Kucheh Kollective (kuchehkollective@gmail.com) so another individual may have the opportunity to attend.

By registering for Book Klub, please note you will receive emails from the organizers from the Kucheh Kollective email (kuchehkollective@gmail.com) prior to and after the event.

While this is a free event, we encourage you to consider making a donation if you can! 100% of the donations will be invested into the future of Book Klub.

_____________

About the Facilitators

Anita Farsad is a writer and facilitator based in Washington DC. Through poetry, essays, and fiction, she explores themes including memory, identity, and migration.

Mina M. Jafari is an artist based in Washington, DC and co-owner of Kucheh Art Studio + Shop. Her art is rooted in Iranian culture, and is a way for her to express her political and feminist point of view.

Special thanks to our sponsors and tireless organizers @brooklandartswalk, @kuchehdc, @kuzehpottery, and @omid.pilates @mooonbeam for sustaining Norooz Market’s seasonal events and community traditions! #wintersolstice #holidaymarket #yaldamarkethortage of hot food, drink, and entertainment! For more information visit @Noroozmarket

Calling all kids and their families! Join us for a Yalda crafting event on Sunday, December 8!

Come as we make and learn about the traditions of the longest night of the year, also known as #Yalda, while we craft together! It is a time when loved ones gather to eat, drink, and read poetry (especially Hafez). We will be coloring, cutting, molding, gluing, and having plenty of fun! 

There will be light kid-friendly snacks, as well as tea and sweets for parents to enjoy. We will also be learning how to seed pomegranates, an important part of the Yalda holiday.