The Dark Arts of Courtesy: ironies of self-defence in prison literature and other forms of creative escapism Speaker Bahiyyih Nakhjavani , Author Bahiyyih Nakhjavani was born in Iran, raised in Uganda, and educated in the UK and the US. She studied English Literature at the University of York, completed her doctorate at UMass, Amherst, and was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Liège. She is the author of several novels about Iran and Iranians, including The Saddlebag, Paper, The Woman Who Read Too Much, and Us&Them . She has also written essays and articles about the Bahá’í Faith and adapted Persian poetry into English. Most recently she has translated and edited Open Wide The Doors , the memoirs of prisoner of conscience, Mahvash Sabet, published by Oneworld in 2026. Event timings The event begins with refreshments at 5pm, with the seminar taking place from 5.30-6.30pm. All are welcome, no bookings are necessary. The Creative Writing Seminar Series is convened by Dr Clare Morgan , Director of the Centre for Creative Writing at Kellogg College.

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