Mahnaz Badihian
Encyclopedia
Mahnaz Badihian is an American-Iranian poet. She is most noted for her use of poetry
to bridge the gap between western and eastern cultures. She worked as a dentist for many years in Iowa City and often attended the Iowa Writers Workshop. She currently runs a trilingual (Persian, English, Italian) online magazine, Mahmag, as an outlet for new Iranian poets
and for contemporary American poets
.
, Iran
. Her parents are originally from Najafabad
in the province of Isfahan. She did not grow up in one particular city in Iran due to the nature of her father's job.
She had an early talent for writing and remembers when she was in fourth grade her teacher held a special meeting with her mother to tell of Mahnaz's advanced literary ability at only ten years of age. Mahnaz graduated from high school with a math degree from the prestigious girl's school Behesht Aeen. She went on to become valedictorian of her registered nurse degree and continued to receive bachelors of science in nursing education from Pahlavi University. She taught nursing at the University of Kermanshah. However throughout her nursing studies she continued to write and was editor of her nursing school's paper, Mehr. Dr. Badihian left Iran in 1979 with her husband who had received a scholarship to study at Johns Hopkins University
. During this leave from Iran she studied to get a Master's in Sociology from Morgan State University
in Baltimore
, Maryland
. then she went on to receive her D.D.S. from University of Iowa
Dental School, where she became acquainted with the Iowa Writer's Workshop.
Mahnaz Badihian (Oba) is a poet and translator whose work has been published into several languages worldwide, including Persian, Turkish, Italian, and Malayalam. She attended the Iowa Writer's workshop with a focus on international poetry while practicing as a dentist in Iowa City. Her publications include two volumes of poetry in Persian and a best-selling translation of Pablo Neruda's Book of Questions into Persian. Her most recent publication is a critically acclaimed book of original English language poetry, From Zayandeh Rud to the Mississippi. She has an awarding winning selection of poetry (XIV Premio Letterario Internazionale Trofeo Penna d’Autore, Tornio) translated into Italian by Cristina Contili and Pirooz Ebrahimi. Currently she resides in Northern California where she runs an online multilingual literary magazine, MahMag.org in an effort to bring the poetry of the world together. She presented a paper on erotic literature by Iranian women in the Diaspora at the American Comparative Literature Association's 2008 annual conference. She is an MFA candidate in poetry . A selection of her poems translated by Andrés Alfaro into Spanish will be published in 2010. She is currently working on a novel called "Like a Wedding Dress”.
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
to bridge the gap between western and eastern cultures. She worked as a dentist for many years in Iowa City and often attended the Iowa Writers Workshop. She currently runs a trilingual (Persian, English, Italian) online magazine, Mahmag, as an outlet for new Iranian poets
Persian literature
Persian literature spans two-and-a-half millennia, though much of the pre-Islamic material has been lost. Its sources have been within historical Persia including present-day Iran as well as regions of Central Asia where the Persian language has historically been the national language...
and for contemporary American poets
Poetry of the United States
American poetry, the poetry of the United States, arose first as efforts by colonists to add their voices to English poetry in the 17th century, well before the constitutional unification of the thirteen colonies...
.
Background and education
Dr. Badihian was born in IsfahanIsfahan (city)
Isfahan , historically also rendered in English as Ispahan, Sepahan or Hispahan, is the capital of Isfahan Province in Iran, located about 340 km south of Tehran. It has a population of 1,583,609, Iran's third largest city after Tehran and Mashhad...
, Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
. Her parents are originally from Najafabad
Najafabad
Najafabad is a city in and the capital of Najafabad County, Isfahan Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 206,114, in 54,529 families. It is located west of Isfahan and is increasingly becoming a part of Isfahan Metropolitan area....
in the province of Isfahan. She did not grow up in one particular city in Iran due to the nature of her father's job.
She had an early talent for writing and remembers when she was in fourth grade her teacher held a special meeting with her mother to tell of Mahnaz's advanced literary ability at only ten years of age. Mahnaz graduated from high school with a math degree from the prestigious girl's school Behesht Aeen. She went on to become valedictorian of her registered nurse degree and continued to receive bachelors of science in nursing education from Pahlavi University. She taught nursing at the University of Kermanshah. However throughout her nursing studies she continued to write and was editor of her nursing school's paper, Mehr. Dr. Badihian left Iran in 1979 with her husband who had received a scholarship to study at Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins University
The Johns Hopkins University, commonly referred to as Johns Hopkins, JHU, or simply Hopkins, is a private research university based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States...
. During this leave from Iran she studied to get a Master's in Sociology from Morgan State University
Morgan State University
Morgan State University, formerly Centenary Biblical Institute , Morgan College and Morgan State College , is a historically black college in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Morgan is Maryland's designated public urban university and the largest HBCU in the state of Maryland...
in Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
. then she went on to receive her D.D.S. from University of Iowa
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...
Dental School, where she became acquainted with the Iowa Writer's Workshop.
Mahnaz Badihian (Oba) is a poet and translator whose work has been published into several languages worldwide, including Persian, Turkish, Italian, and Malayalam. She attended the Iowa Writer's workshop with a focus on international poetry while practicing as a dentist in Iowa City. Her publications include two volumes of poetry in Persian and a best-selling translation of Pablo Neruda's Book of Questions into Persian. Her most recent publication is a critically acclaimed book of original English language poetry, From Zayandeh Rud to the Mississippi. She has an awarding winning selection of poetry (XIV Premio Letterario Internazionale Trofeo Penna d’Autore, Tornio) translated into Italian by Cristina Contili and Pirooz Ebrahimi. Currently she resides in Northern California where she runs an online multilingual literary magazine, MahMag.org in an effort to bring the poetry of the world together. She presented a paper on erotic literature by Iranian women in the Diaspora at the American Comparative Literature Association's 2008 annual conference. She is an MFA candidate in poetry . A selection of her poems translated by Andrés Alfaro into Spanish will be published in 2010. She is currently working on a novel called "Like a Wedding Dress”.