NPR commentator, bestselling author of Funny in Farsi: A Memoir of Growing Up Iranian in America, and the first American writer of Middle Eastern heritage ever to be nominated for the prestigious James Thurber Prize for American Humor, Firoozeh Dumas, will share her her personal reflections and stories of growing up as a young Iranian in America. She will also explore the often-humorous East-West cross-cultural mishaps that frequently happen to us all in everyday life. Despite the language barriers, the culture shock, and the blending of traditions with her French husband, Dumas has learned that many of our commonalities with one another often outweigh our perceived differences.

After years of growing up listening to her father recount the colorful stories of his life, Dumas, who had no prior writing experience, decided to write her stories as a gift to her children. Funny in Farsi was published in 2003...