In celebration of the release of The Ecco Anthology of International Poetry and in support of Words without Borders efforts to translate, publish, and promote the best international literature, Emmy-award-winning and Oscar-nominated actress Shohreh Aghdashloo ("House of Sand and Fog," "House of Saddam," "The Stoning of Soraya M.,") will read selections from the anthology.

Please join us on this very special occasion as we celebrate the work of some of the 20^th and 21^st century’s greatest poets. A reception will follow. Tickets to the event are tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law.

About The Ecco Anthology of International Poetry:

In The Ecco Anthology of International Poetry poetic visions from the 20th-century are reinforced and in many ways revised. Alongside renowned masters such as Neruda, Amichai, Brodsky, and Appolinaire, there are many new discoveries—internationally celebrated poets who have rarely, if ever, been translated into English.

“From canonical modernists like Valéry, Vallejo and Pasternak to younger poets of today, the Ecco Anthology collects an amazing spectrum of poetic voices from around the world in gifted translations, often by other well-known poets. It becomes immediately indispensable.”
— John Ashbery

About Shohreh Aghdashloo:

Shohreh Aghdashloo was born in Tehran, Iran. In the '70s at age 20, she achieved nationwide stardom in her homeland of Iran, starring in some prominent pictures such as Gozaresh (1977) (The Report) directed by the renowned Abbas Kiarostami, which won critics awards at the Moscow Film Festival. In 1978, she won wider acclaim and established herself as one of Iran's leading ladies with Sooteh-Delan (1978) (Broken Hearts) directed by the late Ali Hatami.

During the 1978 Islamic revolution, Aghdashloo left Iran for England, to complete her education. Her interest in politics and her concern for social injustice in the world led her to earn a B.A. degree in International Relations.

She continued to pursue her acting career, which eventually brought her to Los Angeles in 1987. She went on to marry actor/playwright Houshang Touzie, performing in a number of his plays, successfully taking them to national and international stages. However, it was not easy getting work in Hollywood as a middle eastern actress with an accent; she had roles in some decent, though not great, films, including Twenty Bucks (1993), Surviving Paradise (2000) and Maryam (2002). She had to wait quite some time to get a "Hollywood" break.

And finally, years after having read the acclaimed novel "House of Sand and Fog," Dreamworks were in the process of bringing the story to the big screen. After having cast Ben Kingsley (as Massoud Amir Behrani) and Jennifer Connelly in the lead roles, they were looking for a relatively unknown Iranian actress to play Kingsley's wife, Nadi. Shohreh Aghdashloo was duly cast. She stole the limelight and earned herself an Academy award nomination as best supporting actress amongst many other prestigious awards, including the Independent spirit award as best supporting actress in a feature film, The New York and Los Angeles film critics award and others.  Her portrayal of Sadjida Hossein (Saddam Hossein's wife) in the "House of Saddam" won her the Emmy for the Best Supporting Actress in a Mini Series.  Her most recent film, "The Stoning of Soraya M" brought her the WIFT  Humanitarian Award.  She has a recurring role in the thrilling TV series on ABC, "Flash Forward".