Selma Basic (standing, above right) of Ankeny proudly displays a copy of the novel "Martyr!" by award-winning author Kaveh Akbar (seated, above left) while snagging a photo with the author himself following a DMACC Celebration of Literary Arts event held Sept. 16, 2024, at the DMACC Ankeny Campus. Akbar is well known for his critically acclaimed poetry, and his debut novel "Martyr!" (published Jan. 2024) has also garnered rave reviews — including recently being named to the longlist for the 2024 National Book Award for Fiction.
During his visit to DMACC, Akbar read excerpts from his new novel, participated in a Q&A with audience members and signed free hardcover copies of his new novel for everyone in attendance. Basic (above right), a graduate of Ankeny Centennial High School who is currently studying English at Iowa State University after getting a jump start on her college credits through the DMACC Career Advantage program, was among a packed room of DMACC students, alumni, faculty and staff, and community members at the event.
Now in its 22nd year, the DMACC Celebration of Literary Arts regularly spotlights a variety of prominent authors throughout the academic year. All events are free to attend and open to the public.
Author Kaveh Akbar (above, at podium) reads from his debut novel "Martyr!" during a free DMACC Celebration of Literary Arts event on Sept. 16, 2024, at the DMACC Ankeny Campus. In addition to its recent recognition by the National Book Foundation, "Martyr!" has already been named to the New York Times Best Sellers list and was featured on former U.S. President Barack Obama's 2024 Summer Reading List.
Akbar was born in Tehran, Iran, to an Iranian father and an American mother, and his family moved to the United States when he was two years old. In addition to his writing, Akbar also currently teaches creative writing at the University of Iowa and in the low-residency MFA programs at Randolph College and Warren Wilson College.
Akbar's poetry has appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Times, Paris Review and Best American Poetry, among other publications, and he is the author of two poetry collections, “Pilgrim Bell” and “Calling a Wolf a Wolf,” as well as a chapbook, “Portrait of the Alcoholic.”
Kaveh Akbar (above) enjoys listening to a question from the audience after reading from his debut novel "Martyr!" on Sept. 16, 2024, during the 2024-25 DMACC Celebration of Literary Arts' second event of the fall semester.
"Martyr!" is fictional but follows the true-life 1988 American downing of an Iranian passenger jet that killed 290 civilians. The main character, Cyrus Shams, is a young man grappling with an inheritance of violence and loss after his mother’s plane was shot down over the skies of the Persian Gulf and his father’s life in America was circumscribed by his work killing chickens at a factory farm in the Midwest. Cyrus is a drunk, an addict and a poet, whose obsession with martyrs leads him to examine the mysteries of his past — toward an uncle who rode through Iranian battlefields dressed as the angel of death to inspire and comfort the dying, and toward his mother, through a painting discovered in a Brooklyn art gallery that suggests she may not have been who or what she seemed.
To read an excerpt from "Martyr!", please click here.
Emma Briley (standing, above left), a DMACC Dental Hygiene student from Minburn and graduate of the ADM Community School District, talks with author Kaveh Akbar (above, seated right) as he signs her copy of his debut novel "Martyr!" on Sept. 16, 2024, at the DMACC Ankeny Campus. Akbar was on campus to participate in a DMACC Celebration of Literary Arts event, which was free and open to the public. Everyone who attended also received a free hardcover copy of "Martyr!", which Akbar graciously signed while chatting with attendees following the event.
DMACC Human Services student Daniela Solis (standing, above left) of Perry snags a photo with award-winning author Kaveh Akbar (seated, above right) after receiving an autographed copy of Akbar's debut novel "Martyr!" following a DMACC Celebration of Literary Arts event on Sept. 16, 2024, at the DMACC Ankeny Campus. Solis is a graduate of Des Moines East High School.
Fellow authors and teachers Kevah Akbar (above, left) and Marc Dickinson (above, right) swap copies of their newly released books while taking a photo together following Akbar's participation in a free DMACC Celebration of Literary Arts event on Sept. 16, 2024, at the DMACC Ankeny Campus. Akbar's debut novel "Martyr!" was released in January 2024, while Dickinson's debut collection of short stories, "Replacement Parts," was published on Sept. 10, 2024.
Dickinson currently teaches creative writing at DMACC, where he also coordinates the DMACC Celebration of Literary Arts. Akbar is currently in his third year teaching creative writing at the University of Iowa, and also teaches in the low-residency MFA programs at Randolph College and Warren Wilson College.
For more information about the DMACC Celebration of Literary Arts, visit cla.dmacc.edu or contact Marc Dickinson, DMACC English Professor and Coordinator of the DMACC Celebration of Literary Arts, at (515) 964-6221 or madickinson@dmacc.edu.
Photo credit for above images: Lisa Schmitz for DMACC | email lmschmitz@dmacc.edu with any questions.