So I finally got my act together and have posted a few new videos and a new interview. Enjoy!

Firoozeh on Fresh Dialogs

Firoozeh on The Commonwealth Club

Firoozeh at Grace Cathedral

Ever had one of those days when you think, “I wish I could listen to Firoozeh’s voice for say, six hours and 15 minutes”? Well then, fret no more! The audio for LAUGHING WITHOUT AN ACCENT is here. Just click on the tab on the left of this page, under the book cover, and you can download it. You can download it to any MP3 device such as an iPod (yes, you can run on the treadmill AND listen to me!) or you can listen to it on your computer. You can also burn it on a CD. (If you’re like me and have NO idea what that is, don’t worry. I do know that it does not involve matches.)

So listen to my stories and please give me feedback on Audible.com. I do read those reviews. I have found out, for example, that my voice is one degree away from waterboarding for some but hey, you’ll get used to it. (To my voice, not waterboarding.)

Thank you again to all my readers and listeners. I wouldn’t be able to do what I do without you so THANK YOU and enjoy!

Thanksgiving has come and gone and I declare this the last year that I ever eat turkey. That is one tasteless bird. One of our guests this year, an Indian, brought chicken curry (thanks Sunil!) and it was, hands down, the best part of the meal. The pumpkin pie came second. Next year, chicken curry and pumpkin pie. Now that’s a good meal.

I spent most of November traveling. In Houston, I spoke at the National Council for Social Studies conference. I was awarded the Spirit of America Award, which has been previously given to Jimmy Carter, Rosa Parks and Mr. Rogers, to name a few. I am still gloating and glowing from that one! Thank you NCSS!

I also had a chance to visit West Virginia and experience snow. I also visited St. Paul, Minnesota and experienced snow. I also saw my old friend Zohreh, known as Z., from UCBerkeley.  I had not seen her in 20 years! She is a doctor and mom to an adorable son, Dante.

I love having a chance to see so much of the United States. There are so many cultures in this vast land. Now when I hear the word, “American”, I don’t know what to think!

I am home now for a while and catching up. There is always laundry to be done and weeds to be removed and children to be hugged. Thank you all for reading and buying a book once in a while. Please give books this season! They make great gifts  and are not fattening.

Cheers!

I am getting ready to travel to the Quad Cities. It’s my first time there and I am quite excited. Here is an article about the event. There’s still room so please come if you can!

http://www.qconline.com/archives/qco/display.php?id=411345

From the Quad Cities, I am going to Minnesota to speak at ISACS. This will be my first time ever in the state known for nice people. That’s a great reputation to have! I will report back about whether their reputation is true or not. (Note to the people of Minnesota: Be nice to me.)

From Minnesota, I am off to the Dairy State of Wisconsin which reminds me… I love Wisconsin Extra Sharp Cheddar. If you’ve never tried it, run, don’t walk, and get some.

And then I will come home and hug my family and do the laundry.

Safe travels to all, in a metaphorical sense and otherwise.

-Firoozeh

For all you people who have repeatedly told me that I have star quality (thanks mom!), you are about to see a whole new side of me, about two minutes’ worth but it will seem longer.

If you live in the Bay Area, tune into KQED’s Truly, CA series on Sunday, November 16 at 6pm and watch Paperback Dreams. It is an excellent movie about independent bookstores. I guarantee it will move you.

For the rest of you, you can visit the website for more information www.paperbackdreams.com. If you know anyone who loves books, please pass along this info.

I have to go practice my Oscar speech now…

I recently had the chance to write a Five Best list for the Wall Street Journal. That’s when a person picks a theme and selects five books. I chose “Books of humor from other cultures.” Here’s the link:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122005631158385227.html

And here is the article below:

Five Best

1. Portuguese Irregular Verbs
By Alexander McCall Smith
Anchor, 2003

British author Alexander McCall Smith, best known for his No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency mystery series, reliably brings a light touch to his work, but he gives his comedic instincts full rein in the series named for its first entry, “Portuguese Irregular Verbs.” Smith was a longtime law professor at the University of Edinburgh, and here he follows the adventures of Prof. Dr. Moritz-Maria von Igelfeld, an expert in the Portuguese language who feels that he hasn’t been accorded the sort of professional respect he deserves. His attempts to correct that shortfall invariably end in priceless indignities — as when von Igelfeld, on a visit to Fayetteville, Ark., is mistaken for a German veterinarian and finds himself about to operate on a dog.

2. Lost in Place
By Mark Salzman
Random House, 1995

From the opening line of this hilarious, poignant memoir about growing up in Ridgefield, Conn., it’s clear that Mark Salzman is a decidedly unusual suburban kid. “When I was thirteen years old,” he begins, “I saw my first kung fu movie, and before it ended I decided that the life of a wandering Zen monk was the life for me.” Salzman’s hapless quest includes purple pajamas, a bald wig, incense and a sadistic martial-arts teacher. He entwines his misadventures with stories about his family, in particular his father, who does his best to understand his son’s unusual aspirations.

3. Tartarin of Tarascon
By Alphonse Daudet
1872

For good reason, Henry James called Alphonse Daudet “the happiest novelist of his day” and “beyond comparison the most charming story-teller.” In “Tartarin of Tarascon,” Daudet tells the story of a big-hearted braggart who reads travel books and dreams of hunting lions. But then Tartarin actually embarks on a journey to “the Orient” (read: the eastern Mediterranean region), and he takes one cultural pratfall after another. The book shows how little has changed in the division between the Arab world and the West — but also, alas, how some things are not at all the same. While visiting Algeria, Tartarin delivers a mock sermon in garbled Arabic, proclaiming that Muhammad is a joker not worth an eggplant. What no doubt earned Daudet plenty of laughs at the time would bring him a fatwa today.

4. My Uncle Napoleon
By Iraj Pezeshkzad, translated by Dick Davis
Mage, 1996

It’s difficult to exaggerate the popularity in Iran during the 1970s of “Dayee Jon Napoleon” — both the novel and the TV comedy series based on it. Literally translated as “Dear Uncle Napoleon” but called “My Uncle Napoleon” in its English version, the story centers on three Tehran families in the 1940s living under the thumb of an egotistical patriarch who believes himself the incarnation of Napoleon Bonaparte. He is also extremely paranoid, believing, among other things, that the British are responsible for all of Iran’s misfortunes. To this day, Iranians use the phrase “Uncle Napoleon” to describe a conspiracy theorist. The book and TV series were of course banned in Iran after the 1979 revolution — ensuring their popularity with a new generation.

5. The Adventures of Hershel of Ostropol
By Eric A. Kimmel
Holiday House, 1995

Hershel of Ostropol is a traditional figure in Jewish humorous tales set in 19th-century Ukraine, stories in this case “retold” by Eric A. Kimmel. But the exploits of the clever, impoverished nomad who lives by his wits have a universal appeal. It is Hershel who is credited with the sardonic line: “God must love poor people. Why else would he make so many of them?” Intended for younger readers, “The Adventures of Hershel of Ostropol” is a wonderful introduction to the pleasures of irony, but it is also a book that this adult — a fortysomething Iranian Muslim (now married to a French Catholic) — devoured with joy.

Ms. Dumas is the author of “Laughing Without an Accent” and “Funny in Farsi.”

A lot of readers have been asking me about the audio for my newest book, LWAA. I just signed a contract with Audible.com and will be working with the fabulously talented Stefan Rudnicki. Check out his website: www.Skyboatroad.com. (There’s more involved in these audio books than one would think!)

I’m guessing it will take about 4 months or so from today…so keep listening to FUNNY IN FARSI in the meantime. Click on the Audible.com in the left column of my home page to download the entire book.

Best,

Firoozeh

This morning, some of you heard my NPR interview on Weekend Edition. For those of you who missed it, cut and paste the link:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=91769870

I have always been a fan of Scott Simon. That voice…so trustworthy, so smooth, so intelligent, yet approachable! Now that I have been interviewed by him, let me make it official: I love Scott Simon. He is one of the last remaining interviewers who actually reads the whole book before interviewing the author. You have no idea how rare that is! I can’t tell you how many interviews I had for FUNNY IN FARSI where the first question was, “Were you born in Iran?” The first sentence in my book answers that question.

Just got back from Seattle…Seattle is one of the loveliest cities in America and it’s hard to leave. Its nickname is “The Emerald City” and I can see why.

I spoke at the Seattle Public Library on May 21 and met Chris Higashi, the librarian who started the Community Reads programs. It was very exciting meeting her because I have been talking about her for the past five years! Thanks to her idea, I have had the pleasure of being involved in nine Community Reads programs. They are a wonderful concept that bring all kinds of people together, people who normally would have nothing in common. Thank you Chris!

I also went to Milwaukee and stayed at the lovely Pfister Hotel. There was a professional baseball game in town so the place was filled with twenty-something athletes.  Everyone was so excited except me since I don’t know a single professional baseball player. The athletes were all over the place and judging by the excitement, it was a big deal. Oh well. That’s what I get for being  a writer who does not follow sports!

I also saw the AMAZING art museum designed by Santiago  Calatrava. Words can not do it justice so look it up. It actually has wings that open every day. It was breath taking.

I visited the Joseph-Beth Bookstore in Cincinnati. They are one of the few independents doing well and I could see why. It’s one of those stores that I could spend hours in and not realize it. From there, I went to the Thurber House and was given an official tour. I also had the opportunity to sign James Thurber’s closet. (Don’t ask me why. It’s a tradition.) I’m a judge this year for the Thurber Prize so I have my work cut out for me. There are eight books on my night stand right now…

I had an event at the Columbus Art Museum which was organized by Thurber House. It was one of the highlights of my tour. Thank you Thurber House!

I also participated in the Ann Arbor Book Festival last week. Ann Arbor reminds me a lot of Berkeley. From what I gathered, the two towns are quite similar.

 I also got ambushed on a right-wing radio show. (I had no idea it was a right wing radio show.) That was an ugly experience that showed me a side of America I had not yet seen. Let’s hope America does not go in that direction. More on that later.

I also went to the Contra Costa Book Festival. It was their first year. Let’s hope it keeps growing and attracting more people!

I am now off to Pebble Beach to deliver a graduation speech. Oh, what will I say?

Cheers,

Firoozeh