Dinner Salon: Launch of 'Mothersland'

Monday, November 18, 2024 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM EST
Busboys and Poets, 14th and V St, DC

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Exiled writer Shahzoda Nazarova (pen name “Samarqandi”) comes from the minority Tajik-speaking community in Uzbekistan. The feminist focus of her writing and her job with the BBC obliged her to flee her native land for the Netherlands, where she still lives and writes. Nazarova has published three collections of poetry and several acclaimed novels. Her writing has earned her criticism, even death threats, and has been banned in Uzbekistan for its feminist focus and frank discussions of sexuality and politically charged topics.

Shahzoda will be in conversation with her translator Shelley Fairweather-Vega, and moderator Erica Marat. 

MODERATOR

Erica Marat

Erica Marat, Professor at the College of Security Affairs of the National Defense University. Her research focuses on violence, mobilization, and security institutions in Europe, Central Asia, India, and Mexico. She is the author of several books, including Transformative Violence: When Routine Cruelty Sparks Historic Mobilization (Oxford University Press 2024).

AUTHOR

Shahzoda Nazarova Samarqandi

Shahzoda Samarqandi was born in Samarqand, Uzbekistan. Her taboo-breaking novels have brought her international recognition. After working for Tajik-language newspapers and television as well as the BBC Persian service, Samarqandi moved to the Netherlands, where she served as an editor for Central Asia and Afghanistan at Radio Zamaneh, and has worked to protect female activists and journalists in Afghanistan.

TRANSLATOR

Shelley Fairweather-Vega

Shelley Fairweather-Vega is a professional translator specializing in new prose and poetry from Central Asia. She lives in Seattle, Washington.

 

The event is a sponsored by the Cheuse Center and in partnership with Busboys and Poets, and the Department of Women and Gender Studies (WGST) at George Mason.