| Birth name | Persis Maryam Karim |
|---|---|
| Birth date | 1962 (age 64–65) |
| Birth place | Walnut Creek, California, U.S. |
| Alma mater | University of California, Santa Cruz, University of Texas at Austin |
| Occupation | 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. 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. 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
References
- ^ "Karim, Persis M. 1962–". Encyclopedia.com. Archived 2021-11-12 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2022-03-09.
- ^ Mojadad, Ida (2019-03-21). "We Are Here, We Have Always Been Here". SF Weekly. Archived 2022-02-01 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2022-03-09.
- ^ Jamali, Lily (11 January 2020). "When Iran Makes Headlines, Iranian Americans Find Themselves Having to Explain". KQED. Archived 2020-01-11 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2022-03-09.
- ^ Parvini, Sarah (2019-03-28). "Are Arabs and Iranians white? Census says yes, but many disagree". San Diego Union-Tribune. Archived 2022-01-02 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2022-03-09.
- ^ Taxin, Amy. "Iranian-Americans nurture new generations after revolution". ABC News. Archived 2020-08-03 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2022-03-09.
- ^ Kaur, Kiren (December 27, 2024). "Closure of pioneering Center for Iranian Diaspora Studies leaves void in community". Golden Gate Xpress. Retrieved 2025-05-07.
- ^ "Evelyne M. Karim Obituary". Legacy.com. Contra Costa Times. July 10, 2011. Archived 2022-03-09 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2022-03-09.
- ^ "Alexander Karim Obituary". Legacy.com. San Francisco Chronicle. February 22, 2005. Archived 2022-03-09 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2022-03-09.
- ^ Curiel, Jonathan (2005-06-11). "Iranian artists explore a culture in the crosshairs". SFGATE. Archived 2020-08-12 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2022-03-09.
- ^ "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 2021-09-12 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2022-03-09.
- ^ "Iranian-American Women Poets Zara Houshmand, Persis Karim and Katayoon Zandvaliki at San Jose's MLK Library". Payvand.com. 4 November 2004. Archived 2008-12-11 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2022-03-09.
- ^ 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 2021-05-15 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2022-03-09.
- ^ "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 2018-10-11 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2022-03-09.
- ^ Kalantari, Shuka (20 March 2015). "The Seven Edible 'S' Foods of the Persian New Year". KQED. Archived 2021-01-27 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2022-03-09.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "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 2022-03-09 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2022-03-09.
- ^ 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 2022-03-09 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2022-03-09.
- ^ Curiel, Jonathan (2006-11-26). "'Emerging Voices' transcend politics / Hearing top artists from 'evil' countries". SFGATE. Archived 2018-06-29 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2022-03-09.
- ^ "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 2022-03-09 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2022-03-09.
- ^ Gray Jr., Elizabeth T. (October 13, 2014). "Tremors: New Fiction By Iranian American Writers". Harvard Review. Archived 2021-05-11 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2022-03-09.