An Evening at the Smithsonian

Whenever I look through the publication of the Smithsonian Associates, I always find many events of great interest. I would like to choose numerous ones to attend but I do not have unlimited funds. Therefore, I must narrow down my choices to just a few.

When I saw that Azar Nasfisi was going to be speaking, I jumped at the chance. And I was not disappointed in this event. I had read Nasfisi's Reading Lolita in Tehran and had loved it. I wanted to see this talented writer and courageous woman in person.

Nasfisi is the 2015 recipient of the Benjamin Franklin Creativity Laureate Prize presented by the Smithsonian Associates and the Creativity Foundation. The prize includes a replica in silver of Jean-Baptise Nini's 1777 medallion "Benjamin Franklin in Fur Cap" and a cash award. 

Mary Kay Zuravleff interviewed Nasfisi. Zuravleff is the author of several novels including Man Alive!, The Bowl is Already Broken, and The Frequency of Souls. The exchange was stimulating! Most of the discussion centered on Nasfisi's latest book, The Republic of Imagination: America in Three Books.