Diverse Ethnic Storytelling

## In this talk, hear how contemporary artists and storytellers, Arsalan Akhavan and Nazli Tabatabai-Khatambakhsh, are reconceptualising the Iranian epic *Shahnameh* for contemporary audiences. *Shahnameh*, or *The Book of King*s, is an epic poem recounting the history of ancient Persia, completed at the start of the 11th century by one of the greatest Persian poets of all time, Ferdowsi. Considered the national epic of Iran and one of the most important Persian texts, *Shahnameh* is made up of more than 50,000 beautifully composed couplets recounting the heroes, quests and mythical creatures central to Persian culture. First, join Hollywood producer and cultural storyteller Arsalan Akhavan on a personal journey of discovering the Persian *Book of Kings* and reimagining its epic stories for a new generation through digital media. Next, multi-award-winning writer, artist and scholar Nazli Tabatabai-Khatambakhsh will talk about her project *The Book of Queens*, a song cycle in collaboration with composer Emily Hazrati about the queens, women and magical creatures found in *The Book of Kings*, and how she has, from Ferdowsi's ink well, re-written the characters and stories of this historical epic poem through a contemporary feminist lens. The talk will conclude with a Q&A with Arsalan and Nazli. Speakers **Arsalan Akhavan** After learning of his family’s unique connection to a masterpiece edition of the *Shahnameh*, Arsalan’s life changed forever. He traded sunny California for rainy Britain to launch Rug Entertainment, a multimedia company dedicated to making Persian stories both accessible and engaging for English-speaking audiences. Arsalan’s roots in entertainment trace back to the 1950s, when his grandfather, Mostafa Akhavan, founded Cinema Moulin Rouge, Iran’s first major film studio bridging Hollywood, Cannes, and Tehran. Arslan’s recent projects include *Healing History*, an immersive art history exhibition; *The Good Iranian*, a one-man show performed at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe (dir. Sepy Baghaei); *Shahnameh Quest*, a storytelling podcast; and *Billion Dollar Masterpiece*, a documentary short about the *Shahnameh* of Shah Tahmasb. He previously served as Director of Scripted TV Development at Lesli Linka Glatter’s Backyard Pictures with Universal Television and worked in the TV Packaging department at Creative Artists Agency (CAA). Arsalan has also spoken on the *Shahnameh* at Cambridge University and the House of Lords. He holds a BFA in Drama from NYU Tisch School of the Arts. For more information about Arsalan, please visit the [Rug Entertainment website](https://www.rugentertainment.com/about). **Nazli Tabatabai-Khatambakhsh** Nazli Tabatabai-Khatambakhsh BSc. Hons, MLitt, MA, SFHEA is a multi-award-winning international leader and collaborator working across artistic disciplines and contexts in opera, theatre, dance, visual arts, film and performance poetry. Her credits include Royal Ballet and Opera, Welsh National Opera, Birmingham Opera, Britten Pears and Aldeburgh Festival, Oxford Song, Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Atmosphere Festival, Tete a Tete, National Theatre of Scotland, Traverse Theatre, Bush Theatre and City Theater Tehran. At the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, she is Professor of Dramatic Writing on the MA in Opera Making & Writing, and she is the inaugural practice-based Post Graduate Researcher in Libretto. She is the inaugural Associate Artist at the Oxford School of Drama and is an External Examiner for the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. Her work as a coach, mentor and facilitator spans Clore Leadership, IETM and Edinburgh Performing Arts Development. For the International Society of Performing Arts (ISPA), based in New York, of which she is an Arts Council England Grad Fellow, she serves as a member of the Governance Committee. Her ever-evolving portfolio of new work and reinterpretations of existing work is infused by her country of birth, Iran, and is interwoven by the cultures she reconnects with locally across the UK and internationally across continents. For more information about Nazli, you can check out you can check out her [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/nomadicnazli/) and [Twitter](https://twitter.com/Nazli_Tabatabai) profiles. This is a free event but you need to reserve a spot. Reservation details: [https://www.lauderdalehouse.org.uk/whats-on/shahnameh-reunited](https://www.lauderdalehouse.org.uk/whats-on/shahnameh-reunited) Are you interested in reading fiction and non-fiction in French Spanish, and English? [www.meetup.com/gaia-books](https://www.meetup.com/gaia-books) [-www.meetup.com/gaia-libros](http://-www.meetup.com/gaia-libros) [-www.meetup.com/gaia-livres](http://-www.meetup.com/gaia-livres) -Instagram: @persian_culture_ -Persian Culture Whatsapp group: [https://chat.whatsapp.com/EZk35ZbJZ6W6wwyHyuxoS2](https://chat.whatsapp.com/EZk35ZbJZ6W6wwyHyuxoS2)

Salut à tous ! Le *Propos sur la nature* d’Alain, 272 pages, est un recueil d’essais brefs dans lesquels Alain observe la nature comme un lieu d’exercice de la pensée plutôt que comme un simple décor. À partir de phénomènes ordinaires — le vent, la pluie, les saisons, les paysages — il développe une philosophie du regard, attentive, lucide et volontairement débarrassée de lyrisme facile. Écrits dans une langue claire et précise, ces *Propos* invitent le lecteur à résister aux illusions, à se méfier des sentiments trop spontanés et à reconquérir sa liberté intérieure par l’observation et le jugement. La nature y devient un terrain d’apprentissage moral et intellectuel : elle n’enseigne rien par elle-même, mais oblige l’esprit à penser juste. Où l’acheter : [https://www.librairie-gallimard.com/livre/9782070302789-propos-sur-la-nature-alain/](https://www.librairie-gallimard.com/livre/9782070302789-propos-sur-la-nature-alain/) Bonne lecture ! Intéressé à la lecture en espagnol, en anglais ou à la littérature persane ? : [-](http://-www.meetup.com/gaia-libros)[www.meetup.com/gaia-books](www.meetup.com/gaia-books) [-www.meetup.com/gaia-livres](http://-www.meetup.com/gaia-livres) -[www.meetup.com/persian-culture](www.meetup.com/persian-culture) -Instagram: @persian_culture_

Join us for a day filled with laughter and great conversations with friends at The REAL Over 40s meetup group. Unwind with a drink in hand as we enjoy a pit-stop before the next week ahead. This social gathering is the perfect opportunity to connect with like-minded individuals, share stories, and create lasting memories. We meet at table 45. See you there 👍 P.S There are always atleast 15 to 20 people show up regardless of rsvp numbers.

*"Envelops visitors in a mesh of threads that echoes the complexity and nuance of life itself"* – The Wick **Join us at the Hayward Gallery for a double exhibition featuring large-scale installations of immersive and emotive works: Chiharu Shiota/Threads of Life and Yin Xiuzhen/Heart to Heart** Chiharu Shiota is best-known for her large-scale installations which engulf ordinary objects – such as shoes, keys, beds, chairs and dresses – within huge web structures made from woollen thread. The resulting works are immersive and deeply emotive, often drawing from personal experience, which Shiota expands into universal human concerns such as life, death and relationships. Yin Xiuzhen is renowned for her use of secondhand clothing, concrete, food and household ephemera in her immersive installations and sculptures. She creates multimedia artworks that negotiate the spaces between memories, individuals and the globalised societies that we live in today. Read more here: [Chiharu Shiota: Threads of Life](https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/chiharu-shiota-threads-of-life/) [Yin Xiuzhen: Heart to Heart](https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/yin-xiuzhen-heart-to-heart/) **MEET DETAILS:** **FROM 1.30pm: MEET IN** THE HAYWARD GALLERY CAFE **(optional)** Address: Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, London, SE1 8XX. **2.00pm: ENTER THE EXHIBITION.** We will begin with the Yin Xiuzhen exhibition, followed by the Chiharu Shiota exhibition. Address: Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, London, SE1 8XX. **5.00pm - Late: PUB SOCIAL (optional)** We'll head to a nearby pub for a social chit chat over drinks. Address: The Lion & The Unicorn - J D Wetherspoon Upper-Ground Floor, The Sidings (under platforms 20-24), Waterloo station SE1 7BH **TICKETS:** **Please book your ticket** [here](https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/yin-xiuzhen-and-chiharu-shiota/book/)**,** select the 2.00pm time slot (or around that time). * Adult: £19 * National Art Pass holders: £9.50 * National Lottery Open Week: £14.25 (Use CODE: NLOW25 and bring proof of National Lottery ticket purchase) * Members: Free - no need to book **GETTING THERE:** [See link](https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/visit-us/getting-here/) **EVENT WHATSAPP GROUP:** Please join the event WhatsApp group to help you find the group on the day. Link will be posted in the Event Comments 48 hours before the event, for those on the confirmed going list. *NB* *Joining this WhatsApp group will make your phone number visible to other members in the group.* **PLEASE READ:** LoMAZ events are run by volunteers. This event has an attendee limit as we prefer a smaller, friendlier group. If you RSVP but can no longer attend, please change your RSVP as soon as possible, **otherwise you will be marked as a 'no show'.** We remove members from the group who: * repeatedly sign up for events then 'no show' * repeatedly change their RSVP to 'No' * are on the event waitlist or have not RSVPd but turn up anyway. Please see the **[About Us section](https://www.meetup.com/london-museums-a-z-for-30s-40s/)** for more information about the group and how it works. **Thank you for your interest in the group & being part of LoMAZ.** 📸 Follow LoMAZ on **[Instagram.](https://www.instagram.com/londonmuseumsatoz?igsh=MTl5N3doNmJ6OXN1cA==)** Image credit: Anthony O'Neil / Wikimedia Commons

¿Hablas español? 🇪🇸 🇲🇽 🇨🇴 🇦🇷 ¿Vives en Londres o alrededores? 🇬🇧 🏙¿Te gusta dibujar? 🎨 Ven y dibuja con nosotros. No hace falta que tengas experiencia o vocación artística. Todos los niveles de habilidad son bienvenidos, pero sí esperamos que hables español La primera mitad del evento (90 min más o menos) dibujaremos, y al terminar compartiremos lo que hayamos hecho, dejando el resto de tiempo para socializar y conectar. Este es un meetup para conocer y conectar. con hispanohablantes que gustan de expresarse y relajarse dibujando o coloreando en un espacio relajado.✨ Ofrecemos material básico para que puedas dibujar pero te alentamos a traer material con el que te sientas más a gusto. Hay un café en el espacio donde puedes comprar alguna bebida o snack.

La película empieza a las dos de la tarde; no hay anuncios ni tráilers de otras películas, dura hora y media y después nos tomaremos algo para hablar de lo que nos ha parecido. This first feature film by Cuba's godfather of cinema, Tomás Gutiérrez Alea, is a cunning adaptation of a comic novel from the early years of the USSR by Ilf and Petrov. The madcap plot concerns the hunt for family jewels hidden by a wealthy Cuban matriarch before she died, in one of a set of 12 dining chairs which have been sold off individually. Son-in-law Hipólito and his former chauffeur Oscar both embark on a desperate adventure to find the ‘treasure’ before each other or the state does. They struggle to understand the new Cuban society, its rejection of class status, individual wealth and not to mention the maze of new official state organisations – a mix of real and imagined. When the movie was made, the revolution in Cuba was only 2 years old, filming had to be paused in April 1961 when the US attacked at Playa Girón, and the impact of the new US blockade was overwhelming. For a newly liberated country in those circumstances to be able to laugh at itself in this joyful way is astonishingly confident. Conventions of silent movies, slapstick, animation and social realism are all evident in this unmissable first comedy of the revolution. This first feature film by Cuba's godfather of cinema, Tomás Gutiérrez Alea, is a cunning adaptation of a comic novel from the early years of the USSR by Ilf and Petrov. [https://youtu.be/qB3NS9mcSRk](https://youtu.be/qB3NS9mcSRk "Share link")

## This talk will explore the V&A’s rich and varied collection of objects from Iran—a collection which spans thousands of years in many different media and styles. This is a free talk but you need a reservation. [The V&A](https://www.vam.ac.uk/), the UK’s foremost museum of art and design, has been collecting art from Iran since the museum’s very beginnings in the 1850s. Dr Fuchsia Hart, the museum’s Sarikhani Curator for the Iranian Collections, will introduce us to the Jameel Gallery for the Islamic Middle East, where the museum’s most significant objects from Iran can be seen on display. Highlights include the remarkable 10-metre-long Ardabil Carpet which was woven c.1539, one of the world's oldest dated, largest, and most historically significant Persian carpets, most likely as a royal commission, and mesmerising lustre-glazed tiles from the 14th century, representing the height of ceramic production in Iran. The collection is still growing today, and now includes important modern and contemporary pieces from Iran, such as the work of contemporary printmakers, which will also be presented in the talk. **Speaker** Fuchsia has been the Sarikhani Curator for the Iranian Collections at the V&A since 2022. She holds a PhD in Asian and Middle Eastern Studies from the University of Oxford. Her thesis explored the shrine patronage of Fath 'Ali Shah Qajar (r.1797-1834) in Iran and Iraq. Currently, her other research and curatorial projects explore painting during the reign of Fath 'Ali Shah, embroidery traditions in Afghanistan and Uzbekistan, and the collecting of lustre-glazed tiles from Iran in the UK. Booking details: [https://www.lauderdalehouse.org.uk/whats-on/arts-of-iran-va](https://www.lauderdalehouse.org.uk/whats-on/arts-of-iran-va) Are you interested in reading fiction and non-fiction in French and Spanish, and English? [www.meetup.com/gaia-books](https://www.meetup.com/gaia-books) [www.meetup.com/gaia-libros](http://-www.meetup.com/gaia-libros) [www.meetup.com/gaia-livres](http://-www.meetup.com/gaia-livres) -Instagram: @persian_culture_ -Persian Culture Whatsapp group: [https://chat.whatsapp.com/EZk35ZbJZ6W6wwyHyuxoS2](https://chat.whatsapp.com/EZk35ZbJZ6W6wwyHyuxoS2)

An in person writing group for writers of the weird, the wild, the dark and the dismissed. With a focus on Feminist and Queer stories, and a commitment to the chaos and joy of the writing life, we invite you to join us to work on your own projects. We will meet for two hours, on the second Saturday morning of each month. We will begin with a 15 minute catch up, followed by 45 minutes quiet writing, then a 15 minute break/chat, followed by a final 45 minutes of feedback on each other’s work if wanted, or further writing. Come join us, we’d love to have you!

**Join us on a visit to the [Samurai Exhibition at the British Museum](https://www.britishmuseum.org/exhibitions/samurai) in London.** Discover the reality behind a millennium of myth at this exhibition on the legendary Japanese warriors, from the battlefields of medieval Japan to the global pop culture of today. **MEET DETAILS:** **2:30 pm: MEET IN COURT CAFES @ the British Museum** Join us for a coffee in the Court Cafés, which are located on the ground floor of the Museum's Great Court. **3:00 pm \~ ENTER THE EXHIBITION** **4:30 pm \~ Late: PUB SOCIAL** We'll head to Penderel’s Oak pub for a social chit chat over drinks. Address: 283–288 High Holborn, Holborn, Camden, WC1V 7HP **TICKETS:** **Book your ticket** **[here](https://ticketing.britishmuseum.org/samurai/21154)**[ ](https://ticketing.britishmuseum.org/samurai/21154)and select the 3:00 pm time slot (or around that time). Tickets are £25 or 50% off for Art Pass holders. [https://www.artfund.org/national-art-pass](https://www.artfund.org/national-art-pass) **GETTING THERE:** **Address:** British Museum, Great Russell St, London WC1B 3DG **Tube:** The four tube stations closest to the Museum are: * Tottenham Court Road: 5-minute walk * Holborn: 7-minute walk * Russell Square: 7-minute walk * Goodge Street: 8-minute walk **Bus:** The following bus routes pass within walking distance of the Museum. * New Oxford Street: 1, 8, 19, 25, 38, 55, 98, 242 * Tottenham Court Road (northbound) / Gower Street (southbound): 14, 24, 29, 73, 134, 390 * Southampton Row: 59, 68, X68, 91, 168, 188 **EVENT WHATSAPP GROUP:** **If you are on the 'Going' list only,** please join the event WhatsApp group to help you find the group on the day. **The link will be published a few days before the event.** Please let a host know if your WhatsApp name is different from your Meetup name, otherwise we'll assume you're a spammer! **If you are on the waitlist**, please join the WhatsApp group ONLY if/once space frees up and you are moved to the 'going' list. *Joining this WhatsApp group will make your phone number visible to other members in the group.* **GROUP RULES, PLEASE NOTE:** LoMAZ events are run by volunteers. We limit event numbers as we prefer a smaller, friendlier group. **If you can no longer attend, please change your RSVP as soon as possible.** We remove members from the LoMAZ Meetup group who: * RSVP as ‘Going' but then do not show up (without changing their RSVP) three times in a row. * RSVP as ‘Going' but then change their RSVP to 'No' five times in a row. * Turn up at an event without being on the 'Going' list (i.e. members who have not signed up or are on the waitlist). **Thank you for your interest in the group & being part of LoMAZ.** Image credit: Eric Pouhier, CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

The topic for March is "Our Bodies, Ourselves" Speak Easy: true stories, told live. The idea is simple: an audience, an open microphone, and great stories. Hilarious, gripping, poignant- it's up to you. Audiences are invited to come to listen or come to tell as folks from all corners of Columbus offer their stories live on stage! Held at Wild Goose Creative's warm, intimate space, this night of tales occurs on the 3rd Thursday of every month. Doors open at 6:30 pm, show starts at 7:00 pm. Please arrive early if you want to tell, as we generally only have room for a limited number of tellers, and the sign-up sheet has a tendency to fill up fast. Formed around the idea that people need stories--they're what hold and draw us together--SpeakEasy celebrates the strangeness and commonness of being human. And in a world of smartphones, Facebook, Twitter, and more . . . it gives people a real, breathing, in-person way to connect. The night is geared for true stories of all kinds, taking the best tales told around kitchen tables, in darkened pubs, on the street corner, and at late-night parties and giving them an audience. Speak Easy is also a great outlet for performers, writers, and artists looking to share their favorite stories and perfect their skills. We strongly encourage tellers to please tell the story rather than read it so we keep within the spirit of good storytelling and stay engaged with the audience. All are welcome. Hang around after the show for a drink and build community!

We thought of one of the interesting things that can be enjoyed at this time of the year. We will be meeting at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church for a "Fish Fry" in Marian Hall on Friday, March 27th at 5:00 PM. It might be fun for you to experience what has become a tradition on the Fridays before Easter. They will have fried fish or baked fish, French fries and Cole slaw, as well as beverages, all for $16.00 for adults. They will have other beverages and desserts available for sale, as well. We have never tried this, and sometimes there are quite a few people at these events so we hope that we will be able to find each other easily. I'll try to have signs outside Marian Hall that Identify our group. We hope to have you join us!

MCKS PRANIC HEALING® Level I In PRANIC HEALING® Level 1, you learn the basics of working with your energy aura, including learning to "scan," or feel the energy, to "sweep," or clean away congested energy, and to "energize," or supplement areas in your aura that have a pranic deficiency. PRANIC HEALING® has been taught to doctors, nurses, massage therapists, acupuncturists, chiropractors, shiatsu practitioners, and many others in the healing field. It has allowed them to heal confidently and consistently in the shortest learning time possible. These professionals find PRANIC HEALING® very effective and easy to apply. Other topics covered in PRANIC HEALING® Level 1: Energetic anatomy: You will learn to work with the network of chakras, meridians and auras to accelerate the healing processes of your body. Preventive healing: You will learn to remove the negative energetic patterns of a disease to prevent it from fully manifesting as a physical ailment. Self-Pranic healing: You will learn to apply these healing techniques to accelerate your own healing. Step-by-step techniques for ailments related to your: respiratory system, e.g., asthma,; circulatory system, e.g., heart ailments; gastrointestinal system, e.g., irritable bowel syndrome; musculoskeletal system, e.g., arthritis and back pain; reproductive system, e.g., menstrual problems. You'll also learn how to address common problems as migraines and sinusitis. Additionally, you'll learn to apply distant healing to loved ones who are not present in the room with you. All PRANIC HEALING® courses are "experiential," which means that you learn by actually performing the techniques and exercises in class - on yourself and those around you. During class, all the principles will be explained thoroughly and you will practice the techniques exhaustively so you will be confident in your ability to produce positive results when you finish the course. This is Day 2 of 2 Attendance at day one is required to attend day 2. The Course text book is Choa Kok Sui, "Miracles through Pranic Healing" Please bring this with you to class. PRANIC HEALING® Level 1 is a prerequisite to all other GMCKS courses. For those interested to review the class...Review fee is only $75!! LOOK AT THIS!! Review for FREE when you bring a new student to class with you.

Try new games, meet new people, and find out what story games are all about! Explore the reaches of space! Witness kingdoms rise and fall! Create and explore tragedies! All within a single game night. We play story games like Fiasco, Kingdom, Polaris and Microscope that encourage everyone at the table to participate creatively. We also have one-shots of indie, OSR, and narrative-focused RPGs such as Apocalypse World, Dread, Lady Blackbird, and Old School Essentials! Everybody's welcome! It doesn't matter if you've never tried story games before or never played roleplaying games at all! Just bring your brain and a good attitude and come try it out! *** **IMPORTANT** * When you arrive look for the marked Story Games Columbus Tables. Each table will have a separate game. Seating is on a first-come-first-serve basis. * If all tables are full, look for a Facilitator. We will find a way to get you into a game! * There is a flat $3 cover charge for events at Tabletop. *** **Facilitators!!** Please arrive early so that we can get you set up with a table. Please reach out to me ASAP if you would be willing to help facilitate. You can reach me on the SGC Discord here - https://discord.gg/jUTvWUu

Start your week the right way with Manic Mondays. Giving you an enjoyable Bachata lesson with a push of cool moves. The second hour has Beginner/Intermediate Salsa on 1. You must understand basic Salsa skills to participate. 730pm-830pm Bachata Cool Moves 830pm-930pm Salsa On 1 (Beginner/Intermediate) $15 for One Class $20 for Both Free Parking & Plenty of Dance Space.