Sheema Kalbasi


Sheema Kalbasi is an Iranian American poet and writer on issues of feminism, war, refugees, human rights, a filmmaker on women’s issues, Sharia Law, freedom of expression and an activist for social justice, women's rights, minorities' rights, children's rights, human rights and refugees' rights. She grew up in Pakistan and Denmark, and now lives in the United States.

Biography

Her poems have been anthologized and translated into more than 20 languages. She has done voluntary teaching and tutoring of Baha'i refugee children, disadvantaged Pakistani children as well as Iraqi Kurdish children in Pakistan. Kalbasi has worked for the UNHCR and the Center for Refugees in Pakistan, and in Denmark.
In 2009 she signed an open letter of apology posted to Iranian.com along with 266 other Iranian academics, writers, artists, journalists about the Persecution of Bahá'ís.
In 2012, LGen the Hon. Roméo Dallaire, Senator from Quebec, Canada, closed his speech on the situation in Iran with sections from Kalbasi's poem Hezbollah. A winner of Harvest International, the poem has also been anthologized and published amongst others in The Forbidden: Poems from Iran and its Exiles, the Atlanta Review, and Iranian and Diasporic Literature in the 21st Century: A Critical Study by Dr. Daniel Grassian. In 2008 her poem The Passenger was selected and performed at Tribute World Trade Center, NY. Her poems Possession and Dancing Tango were set to music as an art song for mezzo-soprano and piano and performed at Old Dominion University, Virginia. in 2016.

Books

Awards

Nominations