Muslims in America and Maine

We will gather at 6:30 in the narthex, then move to the sanctuary for our talk at 7:00. Our speaker will be Reza Jalali, a writer, educator, and community activist.

A Kurd from Iran, Reza has lived in Maine since 1985. His writings have appeared in local and international newspapers and have been included in publications such as Child Labor: A Global View. Reza wrote the Forward to New Mainers, a book on immigrants’ experiences in Maine. His children’s book, Moon Watchers, was published in 2010 and received a Skipping Stones Honor Award for Multicultural Books.

Reza’s short story collection, Homesick Mosque and Other Stories, was published in 2013. His play, The Poets and the Assassin, which is about women in Iran, has been staged at Bates College, University of Southern Maine, University of New England, Bowdoin College, and Space Gallery. Reza has been included in 50 in 52 Journey, a national project to name “Americans who are problem-solvers, idea-generators in their communities, in their cities, and in their States and are moving America forward.”

Reza has taught at the Bangor Theological Seminary and the University of Southern Maine as an adjunct faculty. He coordinates the Office of Multicultural Student Affairs at the University of Southern Maine and advises Muslim students at Bowdoin College.