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San Diego Conference

    John Limbert and Jason Rezaian

    View videos and presentation information from the PCIA Reunion and Conference in San Diego, CA, October 4-6, 2019 – “A Modern Mosaic: Iran, America, Peace Corps Interconnections.”

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    FRIDAY EVENING:

    Download the one page program sheet by clicking HERE.

    Download the special San Diego issue of the KhabarNameh HERE.

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    SATURDAY:

    • Welcome and introductions led by Jeanette Gottlieb with greeting by NPCA President Glen Blumhorst.  Click here to view the VIDEO.

    • Inside and Out:  Two views of the Peace Corps in Iran.  Dr. Jasamin Rostam-Kolayi, California State University, Fullerton, and Genna Wangnsess (1965-71 Shiraz, Tehran) PCIA Historian.  Rostam-Kolayi addresses the Peace Corps in Iran from the perspective of the Cold War while Wangsness presents Iran from the perspective of the volunteers.  Click here to view the VIDEO.

    • Jason Rezaian and John Limbert (Sanandaj, 1964-66)  in a conversation about their experiences in Iran covering Rezaian’s book Prisoner with commentary about the effects of U.S. and Iranian governmental actions.  This video is available only to PCIA members.  Send an email to jeanette@peacecorpsiran.org, carolyn@peacecorpsiran.org or doug@peacecorpsiran.org to request the URL.

    •  Workshop on the PBS program Our Man in Tehran and the PCIA  Impact  (Advocacy)  program toolkit for use with small groups.  Carolyn Yale (1974-76, Shiraz) will lead this session.  More session description is posted HERE.  Click here to view the VIDEO.

    • Missionaries in Postwar Iran:  Presbyterians in the Era of Point Four and Peace Corps, presented by Matthew Shannon. Shannon is Associate Professor of History at Emory & Henry College.  He has published widely (click HERE) and his most recent book can be found HERE.  His talk is based on his current research on the Presbyterian Missionaries and their contribution to the American “mission” in postwar Iran.  Click here to view the VIDEO.

    • Jahangir Golestan presents his film, Bam 6.6, followed by an interactive discussion.  Bam 6.6 documents the experience of two Americans who were in Bam when the terrible earthquake struck.  For more information about Bam 6.6 click HERE.  For more information about Golestan and his current work, click HERE.  To view the comments before and after the showing of the video, click HERE.

    • Kendall Dudley (1967-69, Sanandaj, Tehran) will lead this session about the “Iran Conference Advocacy Project: Tactics For Taking Individual and Collaborative Action.”  For more information, click HERE.   This will be in the Porthole room next to the swimming pool.  To view the video click HERE.

    • Saturday evening’s program will be a staged reading of the award-winning play, The Orange Garden, by Joanna Garner, daughter of Iran RPCV Steve Horowitz (Maragheh, Rasht, 1968-71). For more information, click HERE.

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    SUNDAY

    • Examining the Impact of Iran and Peace Corps Service on our Lives and Legacies, a challenge from Jeanette Gottlieb (Nowshahr, Hamadan, 1965-67), PCIA President.  To view the video, click HERE.

    • Recent travelers to Iran share their observations and reflections on today’s Iran.  Panelists include Jackie Spurlock (Abadeh, Riz, 1974-76), Paul Barker (Bidokht, Shiraz, Tehran, 1971-76), Nora Barker (Bahrain, 1976-78) and Joel Montague, who helped train Iran 1 volunteers.  To view the video, click HERE.

    • Readings from the New Peace Corps Iran anthology, edited by John Krauskopf. This will be in the Porthole room next to the swimming pool.  To view the video, click HERE.
    • The Iranian Diaspora presented by Persis Karim,  the Neda Nobari Endowed Chair and is the Director of the Center for Iranian Diaspora Studies at San Francisco State University. Her recent book is Let Me Tell You Where I’ve Been: New Writing by Women of the Iranian Diaspora. Learn more about the Iranian Diaspora by clicking HERE.  To view the video, click HERE.
    • You may find this video about the Iranian American community in Los Angeles interesting.  Click HERE to view.

     

    • .Shahrokh Yadegari  will showcase Scarlet Stone, a multi-disciplinary piece, a commentary on the past 40 years of political history of Iran based on an adaptation of poetry from the Shahnameh and Siavash Kasrai’s Mohreye Sorkh.  To view the video, click HERE.

    • The Persian Language: Connections and Recollections, led by Kerry Segel (Khonsar, Isfahan, 1969-73).   A great opportunity to hear Persian, practice your Persian, or ask questions about Persian. All Persian readings will also have English translations.  Learn about some excellent resources on the Persian language, past and present. Xafan (great, cool)! Preview the PowerPoint HERE.

    • Poetry readings from Rumi, Khayyam, Shamloo, Farrokhzad: Mustafa Rahbar.  To view this video, click HERE.

    • Presentation on “Whose Field: Rumi’s, Frost’s or Barks’?” : John Limbert.   To view this video, click HERE.

    • Poetry readings from Khorassan: Tagi Sagafi-Nejad.  To view this video, click HERE.

    • Readings from the Khonsar Nameh of Dr. M. H. Tasbihi: Kerry Segel.  To view the video, click HERE.

    • “From Iran to India: My life-long passion with Persian”: Richard Eaton.  To view the video of this presentation, click HERE.

    • The Future of our Advocacy and Impact Efforts with Paul Barker (Bidokht, Shiraz, Tehran, 1971-76), and Carolyn Yale (Shiraz, 1974-76) as facilitators.  To view the video, click HERE.  The final version of the proposed resolution can be downloaded by clicking  HERE.

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