On June 3, from 5-6pm, Leeya will be in conversation with the writer, Azar Nafisi. Register here.

The Middle East Institute Arts and Culture Center invites you to a special evening with acclaimed author and literary scholar Azar Nafisi, celebrated for her international bestseller Reading Lolita in Tehran.

Drawing on both personal experience and literary tradition, Nafisi will reflect on the power of literature in times of crisis—and how the written word can become a force of resistance, refuge, and renewal.

In conversation with Leeya Mehta, director of The Alan Cheuse International Writers’ Center at George Mason University, Nafisi will explore how storytelling fosters imagination, freedom, and empathy. She will also discuss how literature has empowered women in Iran—and around the world—to find their voices and assert their agency in the face of repression.

This event is presented in conjunction with the MEI Art Gallery’s current exhibition, Maximal Miniatures: Contemporary Art from Iran, on view through August 22, 2025.

Cover Photo credit: Aster Equine Photography for the Cheuse Center from the first annual Cheuse Busboys and Poets Lecture