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A Marathon Week

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This week proved to be one of the busiest weeks of all for me: A book signing event at the Tycher Library, in coordination with the Jewish Federation of Dallas, and an interview at the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas.  One of the great surprises of a book event is that you never know who shows up and whom you meet!

My Sunday book event in Dallas was just delightful and what made it even more fun was that my nephew, Ariel, a student at SMU, came to see me.  This is a big deal because in the past couple of years, I don’t think he has ever woken up before 11:00 am for anything.  (He plans all his classes at noon or later).  A big nod to my handsome Ariel and a big thank you to Shula, my sister-in-law, for joining me on this leg of the tour.

Then off to Austin I went. I met with my good friends, Suzanne and David Booth, who have just moved from Los Angeles to live there.  I am so grateful for their hospitality and for the spectacular party the had in honor of  my husband and me.  The following day I got a tour of the Ransom Center, and Molly, one of the curators, took me to their manuscript archives in the basement.  This was a real treat and an experience. Listen up book worms—you will love this!  I got the chance to see original manuscripts from Bowles, Beckett, and other greats, with their own handwritten editing work in the margins! And if you don’t know, I love the smell of old books, so imagine getting your hands on 200 year old bound manuscripts and books.

That evening, Suzanne Booth, who is also on the advisory board at the Ransom Center, did a Q & A there in the center’s theatre. I got a chance to meet fellow writers, some Iranians in Dallas, and of course other university faculty and students.

Okay, I know I should not brag about my kids, it is not a nice thing to do. But I can’t help myself. So, here I go!  Later on this week, Phillip and I went to Stanford for the new student orientation.  Words cannot express how exhilarating this experience was. The campus is gorgeous and the faculty and the courses offered are just mind blowing. In an ideal world I would want to be a university student forever. Really, it’s the truth!

A Warm Reception with the Ladies of IMA Association

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These pictures of the book event that took place at the North Shore Hebrew Academy in Kings Point, Long Island are long overdue. I just received them myself a few days ago.

IMA Association (The Iranian Jewish Mothers Association) put together this wonderful event for me.  The mission of this association is to bring cultural awareness and Jewish Studies to a new generation of Iranian Jewish Families.  I have to say that every attendant at that event was exceptionally warm and supportive.  I was so touched by their enthusiasm and their interest in my book and I hope that I, too was able to impact them in a positive way myself. I look forward to seeing these ladies soon!

Reception for Shirin Neshat’s film– Women Without Men

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It goes without saying that I am a major Shirin Neshat fan. What I admire about her is that her art is constantly evolving and her works has broken through the cultural specific genre of Iranian Art has garnered international appeal. Just imagine how excited I was when I could include some of Shirin’s hauntingly images in my book, Life as a Visitor.

My husband, David and I had a reception at our home to celebrate her and Shoja Azai’s most recent collaboration and creation—the feature film that earned them a Silver Lion Award at the Venice Film Festival—Women without Men.

It was wonderful evening. Friends, artists, and art patrons all gathered at our home in support of the film.  Laughter, discussion, and friendly banter could be heard everywhere.

Here are a couple of pictures of the evening.

Persian New Year and Passover celebrations

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This past Saturday was the first day of spring, which coincides with the Persian New Year. Parties and family festivities took place to celebrate the arrival of the new year. And as Persian Jews, we are now getting ready for Passover the following week.  Joan Nathan just wrote an article about my family, our traditional Sabbath evenings, and how we celebrate Passover. Some great recipes that have been passed down through generations have also been included.  Here is the link below.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/24/dining/24passover.html

Whether Jewish or not, we all feel that the newness of spring bring with a host of possibilities at our doorstep. So, I hope that this year brings much abundance and joy into everyone’s life.

The Glamorous Life of a Writer

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Just last week, I was with a friend who was walking down a busy street in Los Angeles with her roll away carry-on luggage to catch a ride with me. Needless to say, we got many stares and I was secretly thankful that it was not me looking so awkward walking in the streets (although being next to her did not help either).

Who would have known that the following week, I would stroll right into a Saks Fifth Avenue Department Store in the plush Ball Harbor Mall with a carry-on luggage. I tried to keep my cool but I was in a rush to find a bathroom so that I could change, put on my make up, recharge my dead black berry, and  get ready for my book signing and the grand opening of Books & Books.

My flight from Los Angeles to Miami was a bit delayed and to make matters worse, I found out that my hotel was in the opposite direction and very far from my book event that evening. So, I had no choice, I drove straight to the mall– and did I tell you that I had never been to Miami either?

I found Saks at one end of the mall and went straight into the bathroom and opened my luggage….changed my clothes in the cramped space, recharged my blackberry batteries for 15 minutes, and put on make up and did my hair in the public space. A very friendly woman helped zip up my dress.  Voila! I was done, as horrifying and funny experience.  At least this story has a nice ending.  Ausbert de Acre from Assouline Publishers greeted me at the bookstore and said, “Angella, you look marvelous.” Oh….the book signing was a success!

My adventures in the month of February

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I wanted to update everyone and tell you how amazing the IMPACT event in Portland was. The organizers of the event could not have been more gracious and welcoming and the ladies and the stories I heard at the event were so inspirational. What is also so wonderful is that this event raised more funds than last year’s, in spite of the economy.  As I look back on my experiences, what I value the most is the fact that I get to meet so many interesting people–it is as if I am enlarging my circle of friends. I will be posting some pictures of that night on my web site shortly.

This coming week will take me to the East Coast– thankfully to where the weather is warm and sunny! I will be doing a book signing at Books & Books in Bal Harbor and on Saturday morning I will be speaking at the Aventura Turnberry Synagogue. I have a chance to catch up with some friends too.  A short stay for sure, but it should be lots of fun.

Note from Angella

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I am most excited about my upcoming trip to Portland where I will be speaking to a sold-out event for the Women’s philanthropy division of the Jewish Federation.  To think that 400 of my books have already been sold before the event is quite unbelievable to me.  The theme of this event centers on people’s stories and how it impacts our lives.

While I was thinking of some points to share at the upcoming Feb. 8th event, it struck me–my maiden name is Maddahi.  In Persian, the word Maddahi means one who tells stories. So, it seems that perhaps I was destined to tell stories!

I will certainly update you on my month-long series of experiences and events.

Literary Affairs and LACMA

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I always knew that I liked organizations whose names started with a letter “L”.  But I didn’t know that I would start the year off with a double “L” bing bang! Julie Robinson,

the founder of Literary Affairs, is what I call a celebrity in the Southern California Literary Scene.  She runs 30 book clubs per month as well as organizes field trips and behind the scenes experiences for her readers to fully immerse them with the topics of the books. On January 8th, Literary Affairs organized an all-around stimulating and beautiful event at one of my favorite cultural organizations—LACMA.

As she had chosen my book, Life as a Visitor, to be showcased for her book club, she decided to give her readers and added layer of Persian experience.  As luck would have it, LACMA was holding an exhibition of two very rare and spectacular Persian carpets. Both Carpets date back to the first half of the 16th century and have been rarely exhibited to the public because of its size and sensitivity to light.

Guests toured the exhibit and saw sections of the Islamic Arts Section of the museum as well. And after the tour, Julie had an hour interview with me, where we engaged in a wonderful dialogue about my book, the Iranian culture and community.  The day was closed by a Persian Style lunch, that was co-hosted by Julie, and three of my dear friends, who are also members of her book club.  Thank you Julie, Pamela, Beth, and Alison.

It was a day to be remembered.

Here is a photo of me and my co-hosts along with the President of LACMA, Michael Govan.  And one of Julie and me.

Sidney Poitier and The Beverly Hills Library Event

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Sidney Poitier and Angella NazarianThe highlight of the series of book events I had this week was being introduced by Oscar winning actor, Sidney Poitier, at the Beverly Hills Public Library.  What I have always admired in him was that early in his career he took pride in portraying his community in a way that brought a sense of dignity and pride and shaped a new vocabulary for generations to come.  He is a true trail blazer to me.

In his speech in front of some 280 people, he talked about the human diversity seen on our planet and our commonalities within that diversity:

“We all sprang from different places—different cultures, languages, habit patterns—different religions—different—continents. We are all different in multiple ways, yet we are ONE family—one species—all sharing one home—planet earth.”

He was gracious as always and shared the kindest words about my book and poetry.  I was touched by the fact that he viewed me as “the quintessential example of a gobal citizen”.  There is no higher compliment given by such an esteemed human being.  I hope I live up to it. Certainly the message of Life as a Visitor is just this: we are all different, yet we have so much in common, and bonds with others are forged when we connect on our deepest and most genuine level.

Becoming the #1 Best Seller at Book Soup

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These past couple of weeks has been a whirlwind of activity and book signings for me. I can’t even begin to express my general sense of gratitude for my group of close-knit friends and family that organized so many successful book events for me. They have made the process of showcasing the book so rewarding. My experience now shows that your biggest publicists and advocates are your friends and family.  In the first week of my book launch, I managed to sell 1100 books through Book Soup bookstore, placing me on their #1 Best Seller List in my category.  The most touching part of this is that again, my close family and friends are right there cheering me along.

Book Soup Best Seller List

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