Life
Fereshteh Sholevar was born and raised in Tehran, the capital city of Iran. In her twenties, Sholevar zealously studied foreign languages and English Literature, taught and worked as a translator. In 1969, Sholevar left Iran temporarily to study English Literature at the University of Iowa. She returned to Iran in 1971 where she continued her work as a translator and English teacher.
In 1978, following the tumultuous eruption of the Iranian Revolution, Sholevar, her German husband and 2-month-old daughter fled Iran and immigrated to Germany. Sholevar resided in Düsseldorf, Germany, until 1990 and subsequently returned to the United States, ultimately settling with her daughter in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1990. In Philadelphia, Ms. Sholevar embarked on new career as a property rental agent and simultaneously completed a Master’s degree in Creative Writing at Rosemont College. The Iranian-born poet, who has spent most of her life outside the borders of her fatherland, does not belong to one culture. Rather, she considers herself a universal citizen. This outlook is amply reflected in her works, which utilize a universal voice appealing to readers of all walks of life and all cultural backgrounds. Sholevar writes mainly in English, because she feels free to express herself in a foreign language. She also translates her poems into German and French and at times writes in Farsi, her mother-tongue. A few of her poems written in Farsi have been published in FerdosiEmrooz, a Persian magazine printed in Los Angeles, CA.
To date, Sholevar has authored six books of poetry, two of which are bilingual (English-German and English-Spanish). Her poems have been published in several global literary magazines in Germany and the United States. Her works explore human suffering, longing, desire and rootedness. Sholevar’s inspirations are also heavily derived from her obsession with the moon and the eternal longing for love unrequited. Her works reveal a tedious search for a reason why we as humans cling to life despite all its misery and suffering, which we endure patiently. Her works have garnered multiple awards, including the award for Editor’s Choice in Philadelphia Poets in 2011. Publication of Sholevar’s two new collections of short stories and poetry is forthcoming. Her first novel, “Her Name Was Samira”, was published by Infinity Publishingin August 2012. At present, Sholevar is working on a collection of short stories and a poetry chapbook.
Her daughter, Christina Herrmann, a lawyer and enthusiastic photographer, is the source of Sholevar’s energy and hope, inspiring her to live fully and aspire for literary recognition. In addition to caring for her family (including her grand-husky, Newton) and pursuing her writing, Sholevar enjoys classical music and films. She is an avid lover of all things Natalie Wood and James Dean. Sholevar is also a member of a German-speaking group, which gathers monthly, to speak German and study German literature greats such asThomas Mann, Bertolt Brecht and Stefan Zweig. Her favorite musicians include Bach, Handel, Vivaldi and Mozart. Sholevar is also a member of The Mad Poets Society and Overbrook Poets where she enjoys exchanging literary ideas and poetry with her colleagues and fellow poetry lovers.
List of Honors
Hafizieh Gold Award for Poetry, 1986, Düsseldorf, Germany (shared with poet Anne C. Richly)
Hafiziyeh Silver Award for Satire, 1986, Düsseldorf, Germany
Honorable mention for the poem “Walking Beside the Night” in Mad Poets Society Contest
Second prize for poetry from the Pennsylvania Poetry Society for the poem: “I Silently, Silently I”, 2005.
Editor’s Choice for Best Poem, “The Pebble” in Philadelphia Poets Magazine, 2011
Reviews
Review of the poetry chapbook: “And the Blue Continues” a bilingual book (English-Spanish) by Nicole Miyashiro in Philadelphia Poets magazine, 2012. Emiliano Martin translated the English into Spanish.