December 6, 2021: WACC Distinguished Speaker Series with Tara Kangarlou, Journalist, Author, and Humanitarian “The Heartbeat of Iran: Real Voices of A Country and Its People”

The Heartbeat of Iran: Real Voices of A Country and Its People

Join the World Affairs Council of Charlotte on Tuesday, November 2 for a presentation by Tara Kangarlou, Journalist, Author, and Humanitarian, as she explores the complex realities of life in modern-day Iran through the intimate and personal stories of everyday Iranians.

In her debut book “The Heartbeat Of Iran,” Tara Kangarlou, an award-winning journalist, captures some of the most nuanced facets of daily life in Iran, through intimate and personal stories of everyday Iranians. Kangarlou, born and raised in Tehran, Iran, allows us to meet the diverse people who make up the country’s delicate socio-cultural, political, and religious mosaic through portraits of 24 regular Iranians.

From a blind Sunni environmental activist to the gay son of a general, from Iran’s first female race car driver to a Saffron farmer in the dry lands of Khorasan―The Heartbeat of Iran reveals an intimate glimpse into people’s lives, whose dreams and fears mirror that of millions of others worldwide, and who yearn to join an international community that often views them through the blur of hostile political fog.

Ms. Kangarlou takes us on a fascinating journey into everyday life in Iran, at a time when the world is grappling with the impact of the pandemic, political and racial divides while offering unprecedented insight into how people’s shared humanity, culture, and aspirations are far greater and more powerful than any rift and divide.

Program Information: 

 

 

 

Biography:

Tara Kangarlou is an award-winning journalist who has previously worked for NBC-LA, CNN, and Al Jazeera America. Her writing and reporting has also appeared in TIME, Vanity Fair, Al Monitor and the Huffington Post. Tara has spent much time in the Middle East covering the ongoing Syrian conflict – in particular the Syrian refugee crisis and the MENA region at large. As a result of her work in the field, in 2016 Tara founded Art of Hope – the first US nonprofit that strictly focuses on providing trauma-relief and mental health support through Art Therapy for Syrian refugees and vulnerable host communities in Lebanon. After nearly four years of reporting and writing, her debut book The Heartbeat of Iran was released on June 1st 2021. Far from being a political narrative, The Heartbeat of Iran invites readers into the heart and soul of a country that’s often seen through news headlines and a political fog that blurs the reality of life for millions of Iranians inside the country. Each chapter is a deeply nuanced, textured, and intimate journey into the diversity of beliefs, struggles, and complexities of life in today’s Iran – all told through the real stories of its people. Tara was born in Tehran, Iran. She has a BA in English Literature from UCLA and a MA in journalism from USC.