I am a writer, social advocate, and educator. I teach Persian language and literature and translation studies at the University of Washington. My research focuses on modern Persian literature.
Through my work as an immigration rights advocate at the East Bay Sanctuary Covenant, I have also become interested in the question of asylum and the political and cultural history of Central America and Mexico.
I understand my primary role as a scholar and educator to participate in community building through lecturing and writing for the broader public and advocating for the rights of non-citizens in the US.