Persis Karim

Persis Karim
Karim in 2016
Born	Persis Maryam Karim 1962 (age 62–63) Walnut Creek, California, U.S.
Alma mater	University of California, Santa Cruz, University of Texas at Austin
Occupation(s)	Poet, editor, educator
Known for	Iranian Diaspora Studies, Iranian American Studies
Website	persiskarim.com

Persis Maryam Karim (born 1962) ^[1] is an American poet, essayist, editor, and educator. Her work focuses on Iranians living outside of Iran, specifically Iranian Americans, and their complicated histories and identities which is often presented through storytelling. ^{[2] [3] [4]} She served as the Neda Nobari Distinguished Chair and director of the Center for Iranian Diaspora Studies at San Francisco State University (SFSU) from 2017 to 2025. ^{[5] [6]}

Biography

Persis Maryam Karim was born in 1962 in Walnut Creek, California. ^[1] Her father was an Iranian, born in Paris; her mother was French and had immigrated from Dijon, France. ^{[7] [8] [9] [10]} She was the youngest child in her family (with six siblings and two step-siblings), and was raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. ^{[11] [7] [12]}

Karim attended the University of California, Santa Cruz (BA 1985), and University of Texas at Austin (PhD 1998, comparative literature). ^[11] She had studied under poet Al Young. ^[12]

Karim is known for editing anthologies and sharing the stories of Iranian-Americans, including A World Between: Poems, Short Stories, and Essays by Iranian-Americans (1999) and Tremors: New Fiction by Iranian American Writers (2013). ^{[3] [13]} From 1999 until 2017, Karim worked at San José State University, where she was a co-director of its Persian Studies Program. ^{[11] [14]}

Karim and Soumyaa K. Behrnes co-directed the documentary film The Dawn is Too Far: Stories of Iranian-American Life (2024), which follows the Iranian diaspora community in the San Francisco Bay Area from the 1950s until present day. ^[15]

The Center for Iranian Diaspora Studies is scheduled to close in 2025. ^[6]

Publications

• Karim, Persis Maryam (1993). The Search for History in Persian Fiction: The Case of Simin Daneshvar's Savushun. University of Texas at Austin.
• Karim, Persis Maryam (1998). Fissured Nations and Exilic States: Displacement, Exile, and Diaspora in Twentieth-century Writing by Women (dissertation). University of Texas at Austin.
• Karim, Persis M.; Khorrami, Mohammad Mehdi (1999). A World Between: Poems, Short Stories, and Essays by Iranian-Americans. George Braziller. ISBN   9780807614457. ^{[16] [17]}
• Karim, Persis M. (2006). Let Me Tell You Where I've Been: New Writing by Women of the Iranian Diaspora. Al Young (Forward). University of Arkansas Press. ISBN   9781557288202. ^{[18] [19]}
• Amirrezvani, Anita; Karim, Persis, eds. (2013). Tremors: New Fiction by Iranian American Writers. University of Arkansas Press. ISBN   9781610755191. ^[20]

Contributions

• Parsipur, Shahrnush (2004). Women Without Men: A Novel of Modern Iran. Persis M. Karim (Afterword), Kamran Talattof (Translator), Jocelyn Sharlet (Translator). Feminist Press at the City University of New York. ISBN   9781558614529.
• Karim, Persis (2018-08-29). "Iranians Have Always Lived Limbo in the United States. Now it is Chaos". The Washington Post. ISSN   2641-9599.

See also

• List of Iranian women writers

References

1. "Karim, Persis M. 1962–". Encyclopedia.com. Archived from the original on 2021-11-12. Retrieved 2022-03-09.
2. Mojadad, Ida (2019-03-21). "We Are Here, We Have Always Been Here". SF Weekly. Archived from the original on 2022-02-01. Retrieved 2022-03-09.
3. Jamali, Lily (11 January 2020). "When Iran Makes Headlines, Iranian Americans Find Themselves Having to Explain". KQED. Archived from the original on 2020-01-11. Retrieved 2022-03-09.
4. Parvini, Sarah (2019-03-28). "Are Arabs and Iranians white? Census says yes, but many disagree". San Diego Union-Tribune. Archived from the original on 2022-01-02. Retrieved 2022-03-09.
5. Taxin, Amy. "Iranian-Americans nurture new generations after revolution". ABC News. Archived from the original on 2020-08-03. Retrieved 2022-03-09.
6. Kaur, Kiren (December 27, 2024). "Closure of pioneering Center for Iranian Diaspora Studies leaves void in community". Golden Gate Xpress. Retrieved 2025-05-07.
7. "Evelyne M. Karim Obituary". Legacy.com. Contra Costa Times. July 10, 2011. Archived from the original on 2022-03-09. Retrieved 2022-03-09.
8. "Alexander Karim Obituary". Legacy.com. San Francisco Chronicle. February 22, 2005. Archived from the original on 2022-03-09. Retrieved 2022-03-09.
9. Curiel, Jonathan (2005-06-11). "Iranian artists explore a culture in the crosshairs". SFGATE. Archived from the original on 2020-08-12. Retrieved 2022-03-09.
10. "From L.A. to Tehran, nose jobs are a rite of passage and a quiet rebellion for many Persian women". Los Angeles Times. 2017-03-31. Archived from the original on 2021-09-12. Retrieved 2022-03-09.
11. "Iranian-American Women Poets Zara Houshmand, Persis Karim and Katayoon Zandvaliki at San Jose's MLK Library". Payvand.com. 4 November 2004. Archived from the original on 2008-12-11. Retrieved 2022-03-09.
12. Whiting, Sam (April 22, 2021). "Al Young, California poet laureate, novelist, singer and lecturer, dies at 81". Datebook, San Francisco Arts & Entertainment Guide. San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on 2021-05-15. Retrieved 2022-03-09.
13. "Fiction Book Review: Tremors: New Fiction by Iranian American Writers by Edited by Anita Amirrezvani and Persis Karim. Univ. of Arkansas, $24.95 (467p) ISBN 978-1-55728-995-7". PublishersWeekly.com. Archived from the original on 2018-10-11. Retrieved 2022-03-09.
14. Kalantari, Shuka (20 March 2015). "The Seven Edible 'S' Foods of the Persian New Year". KQED. Archived from the original on 2021-01-27. Retrieved 2022-03-09.
15. Matin-Asgari, Afshin (March 11, 2025). "A Review of The Dawn is Too Far: Stories of Iranian-American Life". Jadaliyya (جدلية). Retrieved 2025-05-07.
16. "Fiction Book Review: A World Between: Poems, Stories, and Essays by Iranian-Americans by Persis Karim, Editor, Mehdi M. Khorrami, Editor George Braziller $18.5 (0p) ISBN 978-0-8076-1445-7". PublishersWeekly.com. Archived from the original on 2022-03-09. Retrieved 2022-03-09.
17. Davis, Dick (1999). "A World Between: Poems, Short Stories and Essays by Iranian Americans, edited by Persis M. Karim and Mohammad Mehdi Khorrami. New York, NY: George Braziller, 1999. 15.00 (Paper) ISBN 0-8076-1445-9" . Review of Middle East Studies. 33 (2): 178–179. doi:10.1017/S0026318400039444. ISSN   0026-3184. S2CID   164865594. Archived from the original on 2022-03-09. Retrieved 2022-03-09.
18. Curiel, Jonathan (2006-11-26). "'Emerging Voices' transcend politics / Hearing top artists from 'evil' countries". SFGATE. Archived from the original on 2018-06-29. Retrieved 2022-03-09.
19. "Nonfiction Book Review: Let Me Tell You Where I've Been: New Writing by Women of the Iranian Diaspora by Persis Karim, Editor . Univ. of Arkansas $24.95 (349p) ISBN 978-1-55728-820-2". PublishersWeekly.com. Archived from the original on 2022-03-09. Retrieved 2022-03-09.
20. Gray Jr., Elizabeth T. (October 13, 2014). "Tremors: New Fiction By Iranian American Writers". Harvard Review. Archived from the original on 2021-05-11. Retrieved 2022-03-09.

External links

• Profile at San Francisco State University
• Profile at San Jose State University