"I'd never heard of Sholeh Wolpe or the late Susan Atefat-Peckham before this book; now I want to read everything they've ever written. Their poems are daring and wise, full of love, breathtakingly tender and hones. Do they write with a woman's sensitivity? Absolutely. Do I feel as though I'm reading 'woman's literature'? Absoutely not. It's deeper than that - both arresting and sublime in a way that transcends gender." – Brad Buckholz, Austin American-Statesman "This is a surprising collection. . . . Persis Karim has located a community of sensitive and articulate cultural observers and mapped that explosion of creativity for us." – Michael Beard, coeditor of Middle Eastern Literatures and author of Naguib Mahfouz: From Regional Fame to Global Recognition "[These writings] command our attention, not only for the range of their subject matter and literary artistry, but for representing a multiplicity of voices, the newest patch in this quilt of American culture. They are allegories of our enriched nation . . . the real thing." – Zohreh T. Sullivan, author of Exiled Memories: Stories of Iranian Diaspora "In these tender and no-so-tender pages you'll find the barely tellable story of what really happened to dreams deferred. Through vivid, sometimes spellbinding accounts they provide, these gifted writers speak powerfully to the subject of displacement." – Al Young, from the Foreword "We have to thank Persis Karim for this wonderful book and for these powerful selections; they offer an alternative to the currently politicized and one-sided view of Iran and Iranian culture." - Azar Nafisi, author of Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books "Might we present this stunning collection of voices to the U.S. government? Might this be the perfect moment for bridges of language and sensibility–delicious humanity–to define and connect us? Cast aside the grim proclamations of power and threat! Gratitude to Persis Karim for this healing tonic of pomegranate wisdom and pleasure." –Naomi Shihab Nye, poet and author of You & Yours, 19 Varieties of Gazelle: Poems of the Middle East "Iran is a land of paradoxes. It is also undergoing a momentous and profound transformation. The delightfully diverse group of women assembled in this important and timely anthology offers a panoramic view of this complexity and dynamism. Persis Karim ought to be congratulated." –Farzaneh Milani, director of Studies in Women and Gender at the University of Virginia, is the author of Veils and Words: The Emerging Voices of Iranian Women Writers