Farhang Foundation hosts events throughout Southern California to mark this joyous occasion by providing diverse family-oriented cultural programming, concerts, traditional music, dancers, cuisine, and more. I have recreated the parables as poetic prose to render the work accessible and entertaining, as Attar intended it to be. A nightingale has no stamina for one like the Great Simorgh.For this bird, the love of a rose is quite enough.My beloveds many folded petals calm my heart.How can I bereave myself of such joy? Sholeh is a Writer-In-Resident at University of California, Irvine and divides her time between Los Angeles and Barcelona. He has conducted choirs at Columbia University, CalArts, and Chaffey College. The Hoopoe (King Solomons favoured bird) steps up and recommends that the birds embark on a journey to meet the Simurgh. Overview Considered widely as a masterpiece of Persian literature, Farid ud-Din Attar's epic poem, The Conference of the Birds, tells the story of thirty birds on a journey to find their ideal Sovereign, the Great Simorgh, the mythical bird that dwells on Mount Qaf, a legendary mountain that encompasses the earth. Composer Fahad Siadat offers lectures and practicums on performance as spiritual practice, the 21st century voice, and non-idiomatic vocal improvisation. Featured soloists: Anne Harley, Fahad Siadat, Amanda Achen, Molly Pease, Saunder Choi, David Conley, Paul Chwe Minchul An, James Hayden, Featured dancers: Catalina Jackson-Uruea & Tippy Dringman, In recent decades the advent of internet and social media has enabled people of various cultures and creeds to band together in response to the gathering darkness in our world the rampant violence instigated and nourished by political greed, religious extremism and unabashed bigotry. The story of The Conference of the Birds is as follows: The birds of the world gather and acknowledge the Great Simorgh as their Sovereign. The oratorio is composed by Fahad Siadat with a libretto by Sholeh Wolp and directed/choreographed by Andr Megerdichian. This includes two weekends with the composer and choreographer, and five days to rehearse with principals. Andr Megerdichian has worked with such companies as the Limn Dance Company, Dance Kaleidoscope, The Mary Anthony Dance Theatre, and Janis Brenner and Dancers, among others. When you are me and I am wholly you,What use is it to talk of us as two?All talk of two implies plurality When two has gone there will be Unity.. Valley of Poverty and Annihilation, where the self disappears into the universe and the Wayfarer becomes timeless, existing in both the past and the future. Take a look at this painting perhaps you can spot them! It features prominently in Persian visual culture including architectural landmarks and art too! He knew your language and you knew his heart. The Parrot, always having lived in a cage dreams of immortality and refuses to take a journey where it might perish! Based on the original poem by 12th century Fard ud-Dn Attar, spending an hour watching the premiere performance of Conference of the Birds at BroadStage on Saturday, June 18, 2022 was an extraordinary theater experience that bordered on being a spiritual journey. When that droplet first appears, it is replete with reflections. Sholeh is the recipient of a 2014 PEN Heim, 2013 Midwest Book Award and 2010 Lois Roth Persian Translation prize as well as many international residencies and fellowships. 10 tis. Like the birds of this story, we may take flight together, but the journey itself will be different for each of us. These include false notions, attachment, greed, pride, etc. Rise above this greed;The Simorgh is the only jewel you need.. Therefore, I have dispensed with rhyme. He has performed as soloist with LAs groundbreaking opera company The Industry, PARTCH, and the Twilight Orchestra. I have read this in teachings by Indian masters or gurus and others. It adheres to a meter of ten or eleven syllables per line, in rhyming couplets. Andr is an Assistant Professor at the University of South Carolina and has served as a faculty member at the Duncan Center Conservatory in Prague Czech, Republic, The Limn Institute in New York City, the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, and teaches master classes and workshops throughout the United States, Europe, and China. Areas of Focus Constituencies Trustees, Council Members, Advisors & Supporters Here, what is assumed to be reality vanishes. Poet-in Residence at University of California, Irvine, Farhang FoundationContributors LEARN MORE. Fahad Siadat is an advocate of innovative and adventurous music and approaches this advocacy as a performer, composer, conductor and entrepreneur. It is however the moth, that has embraced the flame of the Candle, intoxicated by love one that unites with the flame that can never live to tell the tale. MANTIQ UT TAYR (Conference of the Birds) is a Persian poem by Sufi poet Farid-ud-din Attar. fahadsiadat.com. Farhang Foundation proudly presents: ATTAR: THE UNENDING THIRST with Sholeh Wolp, Fahad Siadat, Andr Megerdichian.A talk about the artistic collaboration invoking the timeless wisdom of Attar's THE CONFERENCE OF THE BIRDS through Poetry, Music, and Dance. Attar tells us that truth is not static, and that we each tread a path according to our own capacity. However, they sink to its depths and remain there, knowing only themselves, never the Ocean. PERFORMANCE IN ENGLISH . 10 mil views, 160 likes, 32 loves, 8 comments, 26 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from Farhang Foundation: Farhang Foundation was delighted to join forces with the BroadStage of Santa Monica in. Read Sholeh Wolps translation of Farugh Farrokhzads Connection, Read the July 2013 issue:Irans Postrevolution Generation, Read the July 2004 issue:Speaking In Tongues: Religious Literature, Sholeh Wolp was born in Iran and has lived in Trinidad,. These stories have references to history, and even folklore. But even if all those reflections were of iron, the hardest of metals, you could still shatter them back into water drops. As the Co-Founder and Director of New Works for the Resonance Collective he is deeply drawn to creating interdisciplinary, collaborative works driven by narratives of transformation and discovery. On the way, many perish of thirst, heat, or illness, while others fall prey to wild beasts, panic, and violence. Conference of the Birds was presented with The Resonance Collective; Sponsored, in part, by Farhang Foundation; and Supported, in part by First Congregational Church of Los Angeles, and Scripps Presents, the public programming series at Scripps College. In the story, a destitute dervish falls in love with a beautiful princess who sweeps by him and laughs: All the beggar saw was her smile. We further this mission through three methods: creation, curation, and education. A large part of the poem is filled with one-on-one stories with the Hoopoe addressing each birds concern and excuse. The UCLA Film & Television Archive and Farhang Foundation present the annual UCLA Celebration of Iranian Cinema exploring the diverse currents of Iranian cinema by highlighting recent and classic films from Iran and the Iranian diaspora at the Billy Wilder Theater at the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles. These include interfaith panels and discussions with the artistic team, dramatic readings of the original text by Attar, and seminars on various topics related to Conference of the Birds. The result is a landscape of visceral movement and sound outside of any one cultural tradition, creating a poignant and relatable experience through the human body and voice. UCSB Lecture Series on Iranian Modern and Contemporary Art. If you are interested in joining our efforts, here are some of the ways in which you can help: Terms of Use, Disclaimers and Privacy Policy. This is not a translation of form, nor is it a scholars translation. Well use this information to make sure were only sending you content youre interested in. Information about Attars life is scarce and has been mythologized over the centuries. "We are the birds in the story. Farhang Foundation is a member-supported non-religious, non-political and not-for-profit foundation established in 2008 to celebrate and promote Iranian art and culture for the benefit of the community at large. Those for the dancers, however, were lovely. Sana'i Ghaznavi, who for the first time, exerted love poetry to beings beyond human material affections, and Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Balkhi, Mowlawi (Rumi) are considered to be the other two. Led by the wise Hoopoe they travel through Seven Valleys, each a spiritual realm of understanding that unfolds as they journey toward Simorghs sanctuary. Have you ever seen a drop of water battle the sea?When the end comes, even ifyou were the monarch of the world,nothing you could say or dowould save you from rejoining the earth. As a choreographer his work has been presented by numerous Universities, festivals, and dance institutions throughout the United States and internationally in the Czech Republic, Austria, and China. Their present situation doesnt seem so bad to them anymore. By funding university programs, publications and academic conferences. The human soul is genderless, and I have respected that in my translation. The Conference of the Birds or Speech of the Birds ( Persian: , Maniq-u-ayr, also known as Maqmt-u-uyr; 1177) [1] is a Persian poem by Sufi poet Farid ud-Din Attar, commonly known as Attar of Nishapur. Her most recent book is The Conference of the Birds (W. W. All Rights Reserved. Dearhoopoe,welcome! The Conference of the Birds follows the birds of the world who embark on a journey to find their sovereign, Simorgh, a divine/mythical creature. The Peacock, proud of its external beauty wishes to return to paradise (from where he was banished) instead of finding the Simurgh, The Partridge is attached to earthly treasures & jewels and must refrain from flying to protect these, The duck is too attached to the water; where it keeps performing ablations. The Conference of the Birds (Manteq at-Tair) is the best-known work of Farid ud-Din Attar, a Persian poet who was born at some time during the twelfth century in Neishapour (where Omar Khayyam had also been born), in north-east Iran, and died in the same city early in the thirteenth century. IranianHotline.com is the only credible Iranian-American Information & Connection Center online, since 2003. In the end the princesss servants decide to do away with the dervish. When you come to see this enchanting production you will become part of the story, birds who take flight together, but ultimately, the journey itself will be different for each viewer. with Sholeh Wolp, Fahad Siadat, Andr Megerdichian. Ther Vernal Equinox marks the beginning of Spring and Nowruz, the Iranian New Year. If you are a fan of allegories, symbolism, and witty humour, the Conference of the Birds is a must-read. They eventually come to understand that the majesty of that Beloved is like the sun that can be seen reflected in a mirror. As a composer, his music has been performed in Europe, China, and across the United States.Fahad is artistic director of HEX Vocal Ensemble and is co-artistic director of The Resonance Collective. He is an advocate of innovative and adventurous music and approaches this advocacy as a performer, composer, conductor and entrepreneur. Please try using the site search to find what you need, or go back home. According to twelfth-century Iranian Sufi mystic poet Attar, it is not the world that needs saving, rather it is we who are in dire need of rescuefrom the . Attar tells us that truth is not static, and that we each tread a path according to our own capacity. Attar, Sheikh Fard-Ud-Dn, (CE 11451220), was born in Nishapur (Npr), a city in the northeast region of Iran. The Farhang Foundation. Sholeh Wolp is an Iranian-American poet, playwright and librettist. As a composer, his music has been performed in Europe, China, and across the United States. Just like the birds each of us is different, and so while it would be a flight we undertake together, our journeys to the divine would always be unique. This priceA jewel extracted from great Solomon,How would it hinder such a dizzy oneAs you, dear partridge? Persian Language & Culture After-School Program, byFarhang Foundation,In collaboration with: CITY OF BEVERLY HILLS,BEYOND THE BELL, LAUSD, and STAR EDUCATION. When the Hoopoe urges them to travel the distance, the birds come up with their own excuses. Each twilight the sun travels, sword in hand,chopping off heads and filling the skysinverted bowl with blood.Whether you are a sinner or a saint,youre just a drop of water mixed with dust. All of us have our own ideas and ideals, our own fears and anxieties as we hold on to our own version of the truth. Twelfth-century Persian and contemporary English are as different as sky and sea. Yet, while it may be fine to laugh at you, it was unjust to laugh in your face. After she spoke, she disappeared like smokeas if she was never there. Valley of Wonderment, where, entranced by the beauty of the Beloved, the Wayfarer becomes perplexed and, steeped in awe, finds that he or she has never known or understood anything.7. 10K views, 159 likes, 32 loves, 8 comments, 28 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from Farhang Foundation: Farhang Foundation was delighted to join forces with the BroadStage of Santa Monica in presenting. Below you will find specific activities from each member of the artistic team that can be programmed before or after the performance. Farhang Foundation in collaboration with local museums and galleries, presents FOCUS IRAN: Contemporary Photography and Video, a biennial juried exhibition of contemporary photography and video works relating to Iranian culture or heritage. In Sufi tradition, ego stands between our true self and the Beloved. Featuring poet and playwright Sholeh Wolp, performer, composer and conductor Fahad Siadat, and artistic director Andr Megerdichian. Choreographer Megerdichian seamlessly wove the singers, who also moved and danced, and the two beautiful dancers, Catalina Jackson-Uruea, and Tippy Dringman through all twelve sections of the 60 minute work. The Resonance Collective exists to inspire and nurture the collective spirit of Los Angeles and beyond by expanding our understanding of the arts as a sacred and mystical experience, through the creation and performance of innovative and adventurous music. Although the power it brought the king was real,Possession of this gem meant that delayDogged his advance along the spirits Way The other prophets entered paradiseFive hundred years before the king. You will be our guide: It was on you King Solomon relied To carry secret messages between His court and distant Sheba's lovely queen. Download 2019-2021 Annual Report (21MB PDF), We are no longer accepting registrations for this event, Terms of Use, Disclaimers and Privacy Policy. He has served as a faculty member at The Limn Institute (NYC), the Duncan Center Conservatory in Prague Czech Republic, created choreography and taught master classes and workshops, throughout the United States, Europe, and China. Norton.) The costumes by Kate Poppen, with a few exceptions, did little to enhance the singers bodies. Sufi mystic poet Rumi considered Attar his master, calling him the spirit and himself its shadow. He wrote: Attar traveled through all the seven cities of love While I am only at the bend of the first alley. Let us know how frequently youd like to hear from us. This united response is a sign of humanitys awakening to an unprecedented milestone which the 12th century Iranian Sufi mystic poet Attar calls the power of unity in diversity.. By nature, it is liquid. As Attar writes in the epilogue: This book is an ornament for the ages.It offers something for both the high and low.If you came sad and frozen to this book,its hidden fire will blaze and melt your ice.Yes, these verses are magic:they grow more potent with each reading.They are like beauty under a veilthat reveals its loveliness slowly. Your membership supports Farhangs mission to celebrate and promote Iranian art and culture for the benefit of the community at large. Some fall prey to temptations, some protest about going further. The princess secretly summons the man and out of compassion bids him to escape. It assumes something similar to a Thursday arrival, Friday dress/tech, Saturday show, and Sunday departure. His work is rooted in the deeply humanistic, highly physical, explorations of modern dance traditions while exploring the diverse multitude of tensions and curiosities of today. While crossing the Valley of Unity, the Hoopoe narrates an anecdote about the lovers who have become one. And so began the conference. The chorus moves throughout the work embodying the birds on the journey while also functioning musically as the orchestra to tell the story and support the vocal solos. Farhang Foundations annual Mehregan Conference at UCI presents lectures about Iranian art, culture, academics, and history. Farhang Foundation and the University of Southern California Libraries are joining forces to bring to life a celebration ofIransrich wedding traditions. Its a feeling that sits deep within us, a knowing that we are not just connected to each other, but to something that holds us all. Saturday June 18, 2022 Farhang Foundation and The Broad Stage Present: THE CONFERENCE OF THE BIRDS, World Premiere . Sholeh has performed her literary work with musicians in Singapore, India, U.S., Bali and Australia. Website: sholehwolpe.com. Written by Jeff Slayton for LA Dance Chronicle. He has conducted choirs at Columbia University, CalArts, and Chaffey College. He has performed as soloist with LAs groundbreaking opera company The Industry, PARTCH, and the Twilight Orchestra. The Culture Scoop Newsletter includes exclusive stories, the best content from museums, downloadables, art-humour and curated recommendations (mostly with an India and Asian focus). One of the birds says. One by one the birds voice their concerns, fears, and vanities. Those who are trapped within their own dogma, clinging to hardened beliefs or faith, are deprived of the journey toward the unfathomable Divine, which Attar calls the Great Ocean." Simorgh is a mysterious bird who dwells in Mount Qaf, a mythical mountain that wraps around the world. All of us have our own ideas and ideals, our own fears and anxieties, as we hold on to our own version of the truth. Sholeh has performed her literary work with musicians in Singapore, India, U.S., Bali and Australia. Sholeh Wolp is a poet and playwright. The Hoopoe, ca. Learn more about ATTAR's Conference of The Birds. He has served as a faculty member at The Limn Institute (NYC), the Duncan Center Conservatory in Prague Czech Republic, created choreography and taught master classes and workshops, throughout the United States, Europe, and China. The Nightingale refuses to undertake the journey on account of the deep love he shares with the rose. Videos by Farhang Foundation in Los Angeles. To this day, the beauty and wisdom of Attars The Conference of the Birds remains unsurpassed. In addition to performances of The Conference of the Birds in your community or campus, we offer a range of residency and community engagement activities for audiences of all ages. Her awards include a PEN Heim, Midwest Book Award, and Lois Roth Persian Translation prize; and her plays have been finalists or semi-finalists at Bay Area Playwrights Festival, Eugene ONeill National Playwrights Conference, Centenary Stage Women Playwrights, and Ashland New Plays Festival. Valley of Unity, where the Wayfarer realizes that everything is connected and that the Beloved is beyond everything, including harmony, multiplicity, and eternity.6. This world premiere, semi-staged oratorio is based on Sufi mystic poet Attars seminal text about the journey of the soul as it seeks union with the Divine. The Hoopoe reminds us that life is short, and if not now, then when? 22 were here. Valley of Love, where reason is abandoned for the sake of love.3. Attars use of everyday details, stories, and historical chronicles is a masterful technique he invented to animate the deeper meanings of what we consider reality.. The libretto is drawn from Sufi mystic poet Attars seminal text about the journey of the soul as it seeks union with the Divine. Attar repeatedly warns us about our conceited selves, our nafs (), which I have translated as ego, from the Latin root g, meaning I, our lower self, the upholder of self-righteousness and self-proclaimed truths. Learn More Farhang Short Film Festival Only 30 birds survive this journey and whey they finally reach their destination they are faced with a mirror that reflects back their own images and understand that the sovereign they seek has always been within themselves. In addition to the Persian minor, the Farhang Foundation has funded a signature conference series called the Mehregan Conference, which brings noted scholars and performers to campus for events that are free and open to the public. The best I can do as a poet is to reflect one into the another. . Her literary work numbers over more than a dozen books, several plays, song lyrics and an oratorio. dance, choreography, premire | 5.9K views, 38 likes, 5 loves, 2 comments, 4 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from Farhang Foundation: Farhang Foundation and The Broad Stage Present: THE CONFERENCE OF. USC Dornsife Middle East Studies Program and the Farhang Foundation presented the inaugural Farhang Foundation Iranian Studies Initiative Conference on Friday, April 10, 2015. . The Hoopoe plays a central role in the poem - as a 'spiritual guide' and leader of the pilgrim-birds. at 7:30 pm. Farhang Foundation is a non-religious, non-political, and not-for-profit foundation (501.c.3 Tax Exempt ID: 26-1574533) established in 2008by a group of philanthropists in Southern CA. The Conference of the Birds consists of a total of 4,724 couplets, including the prologue and the epilogue. Whatever has its foundation in water, be it fire, is nothing but illusion. The annual celebration of the original winter holiday that started it all thousands of years ago in Iran. Sholeh Wolp, librettist, Sholeh Wolp is a poet and playwright. As a composer, his music has been performed in Europe, China, and across the United States. Amidst the many influences and cultural legacies that Iran has bestowed upon the world, the fascinating mythical bird, Simurgh is one. Farhang Foundation and The Broad Stage Present: With full support from USC, Farhang Foundation spearheaded this initiative with one goal in mind: to create a thriving and comprehensive Iranian Studies program at USC. Valley of Detachment, where all desires and attachments to the world are given up. Featured image: Cast of Conference of the Birds Photo by Vafa Khatami, Jeff has had a long and influential career as a dancer, choreographer, and educator. As the birds are introduced, you realise that each one of them represents a human flaw that prevents us from attaining enlightenment. Never did it feel like now we listen to singers and now we watch dancers. The Conference of the Birds presented at the Getty Villa Museum for Persia After Hours . When the birds hear the description of these valleys, they bow their heads in distress; some even die of fright right then and there. He has performed as soloist with LAs groundbreaking opera company The Industry, PARTCH, and the Twilight Orchestra. The Heron is too enamoured by the ocean to leave its side, The Finch claims to be too frail for the journey. The sea can reflect the sky with its moving stars, shifting clouds, gestations of the moon, and migrating birdsbut ultimately the sea is not the sky. where began teaching at California State University, Long Beach as a part time faculty member. Jahangir Period | Chazen Museum of Art Composer: Fahad Siadat; poet/LIBRETTIS: Sholeh Wolp; Original Story: Fard ud-Dn Attar; Lighting Design: R.S. It evolves as we evolve. But to meet the Simurgh, the birds must travel to the Mount Qaf (a mythical mountain wrapped around the world appearing in different religious books) can they do it? Words Without Borders is the premier destination for a global literary conversation. That summit - the U.N. Conference on the Human Environment, held in Stockholm 50 years ago on June 5-16, 1972 - marked the first global effort to treat the environment as a worldwide policy . Only 30 birds make it till the end. Of the forty works bearing Attars name, approximately seven are verifiably his, including The Conference of the Birds, which he completed around 1187 CE when he was about forty years old. Id rather die deceived by dreams than giveMy heart to home and trade and never live. Professor Shafiei Kadkani places Hafez, the other mystical . Presently she is the Author-in-Residence at UCI. Download 2019-2021 Annual Report (21MB PDF), We are no longer accepting registrations for this event, Terms of Use, Disclaimers and Privacy Policy. Iranians, Iranophiles, and Iran Scholars who support the mission of Farhang Foundation and our programs by donating their time, knowledge, and financial support. As lyricist/ librettist, Sholeh has written for international composers such as Huba de Graaf (Netherlands), Aida Shirazi (Canada), Sahba Motallebi (U.S./ Iran), Niloufar Nourbakhsh (U.S.), Sahba Aminikia (U.S./ Iran), Shawn Crouch (U.S.), and Chris Gordon (U.S.), Fahad Siadat (U.S), Ramin Amin Tafreshi (Netherlands), among others. An assistant Professor at the University of South Carolina and Co-Artistic Director of The Resonance Collective, his work is rooted in the humanistic, highly physical, explorations of modern dance traditions while exploring the diverse tensions and curiosities of today. Thats why our mission at Farhang Foundation is to celebrate and promote Iranian art and culture for the benefit of the community-at-large. It ripples. Sholeh Wolp's translation of Attar's The Conference of the Birds was published in March 2017 by W. W. Norton & Co. Sholeh will be discussing the book this Thursday, April 6 at Poets House in NYC.. Can literature save the world? Like the Resonance Collective as a whole, Fahad Siadat's work sits at the intersection of artistic and spiritual practice. Once it is destroyed, we unite with the Divine and hence recover our true self. The entire evening was sung a cappella, with the stunning voices becoming a full orchestra. They travel thousands of miles across seven valleys (Guest, Love, Knowledge, Detachment, Unity, Wonderment, and Poverty and Annihilation) in search of Simorgh. I dont believe it is possible to transfer thousands of rhyming couplets in twelfth-century Persian into formal rhyming verse in English without sacrificing a great deal of what makes the original work beautiful, moving, comprehensible, funny, and wise. I have read this in teachings by Indian masters or gurus and others. To learn more about BroadStage, please visit their website. Bucks lighting was well executed with a few far too obvious sections such as in Valley of Love, saturating the back wall with rose red. We believe humanitys most primal need is to be part of something greater than the self. What was so rewarding about this particular production was, although we were told during an introduction by Wolp, that one felt that as if we were the birds who were experiencing this spiritual awakening. Presently she is the Author-in-Residence at UCI. The Nightingale is warned of superficial and delusive love, the parrot of false immortality, the duck of frivolous attachments, the Heron of misguided longing and so on. Named a 2020-2021 Cultural Trailblazer by the City of Los Angeles, Sholehs literary work numbers over twelve books and several plays. As I exit this world, not even a strand of my hair truly knows itself.. Norton.) THE CONFERENCE OF THE BIRDS. The Conference of the Birds is an a capella oratorio composed by Fahad Siadat and with a libretto by Sholeh Wolp that follows the birds of the world who embark on a journey to find their sovereign, Simorgh, a mythical creature. Cast members can be heard on major motion picture soundtracks, choral and solo albums, and performing in music venues around the globe including Walt Disney Concert Hall, Lincoln Center, Radio City Musical Hall, Tokyo Garden Theatre, Banff Center for the Arts, and the Hollywood Bowl. When the birds finally reach their destination, Attars pun on the word Simurgh becomes clear. An assistant Professor at the University of South Carolina and Co-Artistic Director of The Resonance Collective, his work is rooted in the humanistic, highly physical, explorations of modern dance traditions while exploring the diverse tensions and curiosities of today. Scroll to the end of this post to read an open-access version! Cultivated over time, those vibrations became language, clear and distinct, weaving thoughts with dazzling complexities. Learn more about Ms. Wolp at: https://www.sholehwolpe.com/About Fahad SiadatFahad Siadat is an advocate of innovative and adventurous music and approaches this advocacy as a performer, composer, conductor and entrepreneur. The Hoopoe continues to narrate anecdotes at every stage. Her most recent book, Abacus of Loss: A Memoir in Verse is lauded by National Book Award finalist Ilya Kaminsky as a book that created its own genrea thrill of lyric combined with the narrative spell..