51勛圖厙 Hosts Afghan Scholar for Fall Semester
51勛圖厙s Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, Center for Global Engagement, and Center for Peace, Justice, and Human Rights (PJHR) are sponsoring Mujib Mehrdad, a scholar from Afghanistan, for the fall semester. Mehrdad will be housed within the Department of English as a research scholar through the , an NGO that arranges for universities in North America and Europe to host threatened scholars from around the globe.
Mehrdad is an acclaimed poet, writer, translator and journalist who specializes in English literature and cultural studies. His books of poetry include Gladiators Are Still Dying, which won the 2007 Afghan Civil Societys literature contest, as well as The Fish Have Fled Our Veins and Audience. Mehrdad also published a collection of essays, The Rain Passed, and translated into Dari the work of American poets such as Allen Ginsberg, Sylvia Plath and Langston Hughes. Mehrdad served on the board of the literary organization, Kashane Nawesendagan (House of Authors), taught Persian literature at Al-Beroni University in Afghanistan, and edited Afghanistans largest daily newspaper, Hasht-e Subh (8 a.m.).
Mehrdad also has held international residencies, including in the International Writing Program at the University of Iowa. In 2021, Mehrdads most recent collection of poetry, Dolphins Alley (Kucha-e Dolphinha), won the prestigious Ahmad Shamlou Poetry Award for best collection of the year in Tehran, Iran.
Mehrdad has used his scholarship, writing and community engagement work to advance progressive ideals in Afghanistan, including promoting womens rights and fighting against human rights abuses. Like many Afghans, Mehrdad became a target of the Taliban when the Afghan government fell during the U.S. withdrawal from the country in August 2021. He and his family were forced to leave the country for their safety.
PJHRs mission is to make a positive contribution to the advancement of peace and nonviolence, social justice and human rights through our teaching, research, programming and community engagement, said Kelly Shannon, Ph.D., PJHRs executive director. I can think of no better way of fulfilling our mission than assisting an Afghan scholar who has risked his own safety in the name of human rights. Im sorry about the circumstances that bring him to 51勛圖厙, but I am happy that he is able to join us this semester.
PJHR and the Department of English will host a poetry reading for Mehrdad at 51勛圖厙 on Wednesday Sept.14. For more information, visit PJHR website or email pjhr@fau.edu.
-51勛圖厙-
Tags: community