4:00 - 5:30
Discover the worlds you carry inside—family sayings, kitchen smells, half-remembered songs, stories passed down or broken off. In this lively workshop, we’ll turn those fragments into fuel for creative writing. Led by author and translator Niloufar Talebi, Root & Remix invites you to explore cultural memory and personal history through playful prompts that blend truth, imagination, and invention. Whether you’re drawing from your own background or curious about others, this workshop helps you tap into the rich textures of identity, heritage, and voice. No writing experience necessary—just bring your stories and a willingness to surprise yourself.
Niloufar Talebi is an author, translator and interdisciplinary artist. She is the editor and translator of Elegies of the Earth: Selected Poems by Ahmad Shamlou, which is part of this suite of projects on the poet that includes the hybrid memoir, Self-Portrait in Bloom, an opera (Abraham in Flames, with composer A. Vrebalov), the video-poem Funeral Address and a TEDx Talk. Talebi is the editor and translator of Belonging: New Poetry by Iranians Around the World, and her multimedia projects include ICARUS/RISE, The Persian Rite of Spring, Fire Angels, The Plentiful Peach and Epiphany. Talebi is a Fulbright Scholar and the recipient of translation prizes including a National Endowment for the Arts Translation Fellowship for her translations of Shamlou’s poetry. She teaches Creative Writing and Creativity at Stanford Continuing Studies.
Space limited. Seats available first come, first served.
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One City One Book
Events and workshops curated around SFPL’s One City One Book selection. One City One Book: San Francisco Reads is a citywide literary event that encourages members of the San Francisco community to read the same book at the same time. For more information, see sfpl.org/onecityonebook.
Read & Write
Discover new titles, share inspiring works and participate in challenges and contests.
SWANA Interest
This program honors the diverse cultures, traditions and histories of Southwest Asian and North African heritage.