Afghan Dinner & a Reading - Dancing in the Mosque: An Afghan Mother’s Letter to her Son

with author Homeira Qaderi

October 3, 2024 - 5:30pm-7:00pm
Frank-Ratchye STUDIO for Creative Inquiry (CFA 111)

CAS has sponsored this event in support of CMU's Artists and Scholars at Risk (ASAR) program.

Author Homeira Qaderi and actor Lisa Velten Smith will present a reading from Dancing in the Mosque: An Afghan Mother’s Letter to her Son (Harper 2020), Qaderi’s distinguished memoir of her experience growing up female in Afghanistan in the 1980s and 90s. Her childhood and adolescence were disrupted by the Russian occupation of Afghanistan, civil war, and the Taliban imposition of Sharia law, which deprived women and girls of their rights to education, freedom of movement, and self-determination. The book tells a story of resilience and resistance in the face of unimaginable oppression, a “powerful narrative of a life marked by courage and despair” (Kirkus Reviews).

Afghan writer, activist, and educator Dr. Homeira Qaderi has written seven books, including a collection of short stories and her acclaimed novel Noqra: The Daughter of Kabul River (Rozgar Publishers, 2009). A lifelong human rights activist, Qaderi was awarded the Malalai Medal—Afghanistan’s highest civilian honor—for exceptional bravery. Dancing in the Mosque was excerpted by the New York Times and chosen by Kirkus Reviews as one of the best nonfiction books of 2020.

Dr. Qaderi is an Associate Research Scholar at Yale University, where she is currently writing a novel, inspired largely by her own experiences, with the working title “Tell Me Everything.”

Lisa Velten Smith is a professional actor whose 20+ year career spans Broadway, off Broadway, Regional Theater, television and film.  In 2019, Velten Smith was awarded Pittsburgh Performer of the Year for her portrayals of Nora in A Doll’s House Part II at the Pittsburgh Public Theater and Laura in Stephen Belber’s We Are Among Us at City Theatre.

Join us to hear an excerpt from Qaderi’s memoir, engage in a discussion with the author, and enjoy a delicious meal catered by Aria Persian Cuisine. This event will be moderated by Visiting Professor of Afghan Cinema and Theater Habib Sorosh.

The CAS "Dinner and a Movie/Reading" Series is co-sponsored by  The Humanities Scholars Program Diane and Bradford Smith Family Fund, The Humanities Center, The Sustainability Initiative, The Center for Black European Studies and the Atlantic, and the Artists and Scholars at Risk Program.