Iranian-American Writer to Present Lecture on Present-day Iran

Media contact: Noelle Lemoine, communications assistant; tele: (413) 597-4277; email: [email protected]

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass., April 10, 2013—Hooman Majd, Iranian-American journalist, author, and Iranian presidential advisor, will present a lecture at Williams College on Sunday, April 14. The talk, titled “Conflict in Iran: From Israel to Afghanistan and Beyond,” will take place at 7 p.m. in Brooks-Rogers Recital Hall, Bernhard Music Center. A reception will follow. The event is free and open to the public.

In his talk, Majd will discuss the current military situation around Iran, helping the audience understand the potential conflict with Israel over the nuclear issue. He will also speak about other conflicts in Iran. Finally, Majd will explore the possibility of wholesale change within the existing regime.

Majd is the son of an Iranian diplomat and the grandson of an Ayatollah. Majd has worked as an advisor and translator for Iranian President Mohammad Khatami and translator for President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Majd is also a notable journalist, and his writings frequently appear in The New Yorker, GQ, Time, Newsweek, The Los Angeles Times, and Salon. He is a writer and contributing editor to Interview and was an original blogger at the Huffington Post. Majd has also published two non-fiction books, which have been translated into a number of foreign languages. His first book, The Ayatollah Begs to Differ: The Paradox of Modern Iran (Doubleday, 2008), was a New York Times bestseller and one of The Economist best books of 2008. Before he began writing full-time, Majd had a long career in the entertainment industry, working for many years as a senior executive at Island Records.

Majd received his B.S. from The George Washington University in 1977.

The event is sponsored by the Stanley Kaplan Program in American Foreign Policy and the Program in Leadership Studies.

END

For building locations on the Williams campus, please consult the map outside the driveway entrance to the Security Office located in Hopkins Hall on Main Street (Rte. 2), next to the Thompson Memorial Chapel, or call the Office of Communications (413) 597-4277. The map can also be found on the web at www.williams.edu/map

To visit the college on the Internet: www.williams.edu Williams College can also be found on Facebook: www.facebook.com/williamscollege and Twitter: twitter.com/williamscollege

Published April 10, 2013