Aria Fani, Adeeba Shahid Talukder, Amelia Ossorio, & Niloufar Talebi

Aria Fani, Adeeba Shahid Talukder, Amelia Ossorio, and Niloufar Talebi visit the store to discuss the collections of poetry Shape of Extinction by Bijan Jalali, translated by Fani and Talukder and illustrated by Ossorio, and Elegies of the Earth by Ahmad Shamlou, translated by Talebi.

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About Shape of Extinction

Shape of Extinction brings together 59 short poems by the modernist Iranian poet Bijan Jalali, the first book-length selection of his meditative yet quietly radical approach to poetry. A critical introduction situates Jalali’s work within the broader currents of modern Persian poetry and politics. With bilingual Persian-English texts presented in parallel, this volume invites readers—both familiar and new—to engage with Jalali’s poetic vision.

Bijan Jalali (1927–1999) was an Iranian poet known for his brief, minimalist, meditative style. Departing from traditional Persian verse, his poems focus on the nature of poetic production, the cosmos, and nature. Though overlooked during his lifetime, Jalali’s work has gained posthumous recognition for its quiet yet profound impact on modern Persian poetry.

About Elegies of the Earth

A sweeping centennial edition of Iran’s iconic twentieth-century poet of liberty, whose work shaped modern Persian poetry. Known for his political engagement and deep humanism, and his pivotal role in Persian poetry’s modernist turn toward free verse, Ahmad Shamlou (1925–2000) crafted poems that carried both lyrical intimacy and cultural force. A central, defiant voice in Iran’s modern literary history, Shamlou championed the power of poetry as an instrument of liberation. His work, long suppressed in his homeland, remains urgent for readers everywhere confronting censorship, exile, and erasure. This bilingual edition honors Shamlou’s centennial with the most expansive selection of his poetry to date in English, encompassing his wide thematic range: from fierce protest to intimate love, mythic storytelling to existential reflection. Niloufar Talebi’s vibrant translations and deeply researched commentary shine new light on Shamlou’s legacy and his relevance today.

One of the most influential cultural figures of Iran in the latter half of the twentieth century, Ahmad Shamlou (1925–2000) authored more than 70 books, including 18 volumes of poetry. Sometimes known by his pen name, Alef Bamdad, Shamlou’s innovations brought on a transition from classical forms to free verse and made him a flag-bearer of the Iranian vanguard, which included the poet Forough Farrokhzad. Shamlou’s synthesis of Eastern and Western poetic traditions and high and low styles democratized the literary mode without simplifying it. Championing the “everyman,” Shamlou’s work reflects his deep engagement with social issues and the human condition.

Aria Fani is an assistant professor of Persian and Iranian studies at the University of Washington, where he co-convenes the Translation Studies Hub. His first book, Reading across Borders: Afghans, Iranians, and Literary Nationalism (University of Texas Press, 2024), was translated into Persian by Shirazeh Press in Iran. Outside of academia, he advocates for non-citizen Americans, focusing on asylum seekers from Central America.

Adeeba Shahid Talukder is a Pakistani and Bengali-American poet, vocalist, and translator of Urdu and Persian poetry. She is the author of Shahr-e-jaanaan: The City of the Beloved (Tupelo Press, 2020), winner of the 2017 Kundiman Poetry Prize, and the chapbook What Is Not Beautiful (Glass Poetry Press, 2018). Her work has appeared in Washington Square Review, Gulf Coast, World Literature Today, Aleph Review, The Margins, Words Without Borders, and various other publications. Adeeba holds an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Michigan and has received fellowships from Kundiman and Poets House. She is currently training in Hindustani classical music under Ustad Salamat Ali and is the recipient of a grant from the New York State Council on the Arts.

Amelia Ossorio is an illustrator from Seattle who creates vibrant and playful designs that invite curiosity and nostalgia. She studies Persian at the University of Washington’s Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures department and is one of Aria Fani’s students. Her work draws inspiration from a wide range of contemporary artists that emphasize self-reflection and freedom, including Forugh Farrokhzad and Frida Kahlo. She often incorporates symbols from nature, colorful scenes from life, and memories into her illustrations. Ossorio’s art can be found online under the name @sensitive.cactus.

Niloufar Talebi is an author, translator, and multidisciplinary creator. She is the editor and translator of Elegies of the Earth: Selected Poems by Ahmad Shamlou (World Poetry Books, Nov. 2025), a bilingual centennial edition and the most comprehensive volume of the poetry of the prominent Iranian poet Ahmad Shamlou (1925-2000). Shamlou, who attended her parents’ secret literary salons in post-1979 Tehran, has been a lasting inspiration for her work—including an opera and a TEDx Talk at Berkeley, and the memoir Self-Portrait in Bloom. A Fulbright U.S. Scholar and recipient of translation prizes, including a National Endowment for the Arts Translation Fellowship for her translations of Shamlou’s poetry, she teaches Creative Writing and Creativity at Stanford Continuing Studies.

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