Roshan Institute for Persian Studies

03/10/2026

Dear Roshan Institute Friends,

Please join us virtually today, March 10, 2:00-3:15 p.m. EST, for a conversation with the creators of For Women Serving Time, a new opera-theater that explores the experiences of female incarceration in America. Persian-American poet Fatemeh Keshavarz and pianist and composer Adrienne Torf will be joined by director Timothy Nelson and Craig Kier, executive director of Arts for All, to discuss the making of this powerful interdisciplinary project.

Date: Tuesday, March 10, 2026
Time: 2-3:15 p.m. EST
Zoom Link: https://umd.zoom.us/j/99143495432

12/20/2025

From our faculty, staff and students to the dear members of our community:

09/23/2025

Dear Roshan Institute Friends,

Please join the Roshan Institute for Persian Studies for a screening of the documentary The Dawn Is Too Far: Stories of Iranian-American Life (2024), The screening will be followed by a virtual Q&A with the co-director Dr. Persis Karim.

This documentary highlights the untold stories of eight Iranian Americans in the San Francisco Bay Area, weaving together personal narratives from both Iran and the United States.

This event will be in person on UMD's campus.

Date: Monday, October 6, 2025
Time: 2:00 PM EST
Place: St. Mary's Hall, Multipurpose Room

09/12/2025

Please join us on Sunday, September 21, for a fall virtual welcome reception to kick off the 2025-2026 academic year. We'll connect with students and Roshan graduate fellows, meet faculty and community members, discuss our fall event plans, and share some exciting news we can’t wait to share!

This event will be solely online. To join us on Zoom, go to https://tinyurl.com/RoshanWelcome

Date: Sunday, September 21, 2025, 2 PM EDT.

05/02/2025

Please join us virtually this Monday, May 5, 2025, at 11 AM, for a book launch of Avicenna's Addendum to his Recension of Ptolemy's Almagest with Dr. Sajjad Nikfahm-Khubravan and Dr. Osama Eshera. This critical edition and commentary helps uncover the connection between the Islamic astronomical tradition and ancient cultures, containing Avicenna's report of astronomical developments between Ptolemy's time and his own.

Date: Monday, May 5, 2025
Time: 11 AM EDT
Zoom Link: https://go.umd.edu/roshan-avicenna

04/17/2025

Dear Roshan Institute Friends,

Please join us virtually on Sunday, April 27, for a virtual book launch with Dr. Allen James Fromherz, sponsored by the Yarshater Speaker Series. The Center of the World: A Global History of the Persian Gulf from the Stone Age to the Present tells the story of world history's beginning in the Persian Gulf. The ancient port cities that dotted its coastlines created the first global seaboard, a place from where faiths and cultures from around the world set sail and made contact. More than a history, The Center of the World shows us that contradictions that define our modern age have always been present.

Date: Sunday, April 27, 2025
Time: 2 PM EDT
Zoom Link: https://go.umd.edu/yarshater2025

04/04/2025

Dear Roshan Institute Friends,

Please join us virtually this Sunday for a project launch event, rumi roaming: a multi-platform and multi-lingual anthology. rumi roaming juxtaposes new translations of some of Rumi's ghazals with contemporary creative non-fiction, poetry, scholarly essays, photo essays, and performance and art videos. Join editors Gita Hashemi and Elena Basile, along with contributors Raul Moarquech, Ferrera-Balanquet, Hajar Hussaini, Öykü Tekten, Mahdi Tourage, and Fatemeh Keshavarz, for a virtual presentation and discussion.

Date: Sunday, April 6, 2025
Time: 2 PM EDT
Zoom Link: https://go.umd.edu/rumiroaming

03/20/2025

03/19/2025

Join us!
Book launch: A Seat at the Table, the story of the founding of Busboys and Poets, with Mr. Andy Shallal
Date: Sun, Mar 30
Time: 2:30 PM
Place: St. Mary's Hall, Multipurpose Room

03/05/2025

Please go to this link and Give to Roshan Institute for Persian Studies whatever feels appropriate for you. https://giving.umd.edu/giving/Fund.php?name=center-for-persian-studies-fund

Please know that we would rely on every dollar that you give us to prevent Persian Studies from being pushed to the margins of learning.

02/28/2025

Dear Roshan Institute Friends,

Please join us for an Elahé Mir-Djalali Speaker Series talk by Dr. Mohammad Gharipour (UMD), "The Project of Modernity: Architectural Developments in Iran During the Late Pahlavi Era."

Date: Thursday, March 13
Time: 2:30 PM EDT
Place: Lauretta Clough Community Room, JMZ 1205