Writer Series: Voices of Iran

• Date: 08 May
• Time: 19:00 - 20:30
• Location: Bibliotheek Den Haag

Kaveh Akbar, Mina Etemad, and Mojdeh Feili fled Iran to the West with their parents as children—the former to the US, the other two to the Netherlands. The three writers discuss the influence of their Iranian background on their work and their lives. How do you relate to a homeland at war, where you can no longer go? How do you deal with feelings of guilt towards family and those left behind? What role does their writing play in this?

About the writers

Kaveh Akbar (1989) is an Iranian-American poet and writer, born in Tehran, Iran. At the age of two, he moved to America, where he teaches at the University of Iowa. His debut novel Martyr! (translated into Dutch by Hans Kloos and published by Pluim as Martelaar!) was named one of the ten best books of the year by the New York Times in 2024. It was also received with acclaim by the press in the Netherlands. Mina Etemad is a journalist, podcast maker, and theater and dance critic for de Volkskrant. This spring, her debut *De zangvogel* was published by Thomas Rap, a memoir about family, the pressure of expectations, and the search for meaning—and about the peace and satisfaction Mina finds in caring for animals when words fail her. What we carry with us from the past and how we use it to shape the present is a recurring theme in her work.

Mojdeh Feili (1989) is a writer, editor, book reviewer, and programme maker. She writes for Het Parool, Oneworld, Storytel, Dipsaus, and Lilith Magazine. In 2021, her story *Zeemeermens* was published in the anthology *Damn Horny*, and in 2020, her story *Eindelijk als Alice* appeared in the anthology *De goede immigrant*. She will engage in conversation with both authors and will also contribute to the discussion from her own experience.

Practical information

This Writers Unlimited Series programme is in English and was created in collaboration with publisher Pluim and Thomas Rap. Afterwards, book sales by De Vries Van Stockum with an opportunity for signing.

When: Friday, May 8, 2026

Time: 19:00 – 20:30

Where: Central Library Podium B (5th floor), Spui 68, 2511 BT The Hague

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