Join the University of Washington Middle Eastern Languages & Cultures Department alongside its Persian & Iranian Studies Program to welcome California-based, Iranian American artist, Yasmeen Abedifard, to the campus for an afternoon book talk and Q&A session about her newly published comic collection: When to Pick a Pomegranate (pub. Silver Sprocket 2024). The event will be co-hosted by MELC student and artist, Amelia Ossorio. To confirm your seat, RSVP by October 15.

“Oakland comics artist Yasmeen Abedifard explores shame, queerness, survival and her Persian roots in 'When to Pick a Pomegranate.' Upon waking in a garden-like void, a disoriented pomegranate named Anar and a woman named Guli question their existence: Who are they? What is their purpose? Suddenly, a pair of divine hands plucks them from their quiet panic and launches them through a journey — one in which they are born and reborn, their souls interlinked but their relationship ever-changing. From cycle to cycle, Anar and Guli shape-shift, taking on different physical forms as they amalgamate and coalesce, inflicting the sharpness of their hate, anger, desire, hunger and shame onto one another” (KQED). When to Pick a Pomegranate is currently available for purchase.  

About Yasmeen Abedifard 
Yasmeen Abedifard (b. 1996) is an Iranian-American, queer artist born in the San Francisco Bay Area and is currently based in Oakland, CA, USA. She holds an MFA from Cornell University, where she received the Charles Baskerville Painting Award. Her work is centered around storytelling mediums, including comics, illustrations, and animation. She is currently teaching in the Comics BFA program at The California College of the Arts (CCA). 

About Amelia Ossorio 
Amelia Ossorio is an artist and UW student majoring in Middle East Studies with a concentration in Persian and is minoring in Art History. On Instagram, Amelia posts her original artwork and animations under the name @sensitive.cactus and has earned more than 10 million views and a following of nearly 60k. Amelia currently serves as the Director's Assistant at the UW Center for Global Studies, and has also interned at the Seattle Art Museum as an Emerging Arts Leader within the PR & Communications team. She was invited to create her own museum art gallery tour in August 2024 highlighting Mexican artists on view at the museum. 

Questions or Feedback? 
Contact ameliao@uw.edu