By Elham Monfaredi
Persian poetry has long been central to cultural expression across Iranian and Persian-speaking societies, shaping how history, philosophy, and everyday life are imagined and remembered. Contemporary Persian poetry grows out of this rich tradition while responding to modern realities, drawing on centuries-old forms and imagery to speak to themes of exile, loss, resistance, and renewal. Through translation, these works continue to build bridges between past and present, local and global audiences.
This past November, Seattle audiences had two special opportunities to engage with this tradition through a pair of Persian poetry book launches celebrating new English translations of modern Persian masters.
On Thursday, November 13, 2025, Third Place Books Ravenna hosted A Night of Persian Poetry, featuring Adeeba Shahid Talukder, Niloufar Talebi, Aria Fani, and Amelia Ossorio. The evening highlighted The Shape of Extinction, Bijan Jalali’s minimalist poems translated by Talukder and Fani, and Elegies of the Earth, Ahmad Shamlou’s poems translated by Talebi. Through readings and discussion, the event offered insight into the poets’ distinct voices and the art of literary translation.
A second launch followed on Saturday, November 15, 2025, at Elliott Bay Books, where the same group of artists and translators came together for a lively conversation about both collections. The event underscored the collaborative nature of the projects, with Ossorio’s illustrations accompanying The Shape of Extinction and enriching its meditative aesthetic.
The Shape of Extinction has since received national recognition, winning a prize from the Lois Roth Foundation. Awarded to The Shape of Extinction (Asemana Books), the honor recognizes the translators’ ability to convey Bijan Jalali’s spare, contemplative style with remarkable sensitivity. Reflecting on the collection, the poet and author of Ghazal Cosmopolitan praised the work, noting that “where Fani’s insights contextualize the unique place Jalali has in the ‘overlapping and plural modernisms’ of Persian poetry … Adeeba Shahid Talukder’s fine touch as a co-translator pierces the exosphere of craft, reaching the sphere of the elusive beloved.” The translated poems, the reflection continues, “settle as dew, refracting the mighty, delicate tendrils between the past and the yet to come.”
Together, these events celebrated not only two significant book launches, but also the power of translation to bring Persian poetry into meaningful dialogue with contemporary readers.