1. Gold for Sugar Reading and
Book Signing at the Philadelphia Art Alliance
Reading/Book Signing
When: November 15, 2015
Where: Shanis Programming Space, 3rd floor
Time: 4:00 PM - 5:30 PM
The Philadelphia Art Alliance (PAA) continues its ongoing series
of book signings with a cultural presentation and reading from
Gold for Sugar by Dr. Javad Mohsenian. The late afternoon
event includes a conversation on relations and relationships
within the Middle East by scholar Dr. Thomas Ricks, selected
readings from Gold for Sugar by Dr. Mohsenian, and a musical
presentation by Dr. Mustapha Shayegan and Hasan Shahpari.
Iran has become a central topic in US foreign and domestic
affairs, making headline news almost daily. Through poetry,
politics and Persian music, Dr. Mohsenian and his colleagues
will create an evening that intertwines each element into a rich
and complex perspective on contemporary Persian culture and
political life.
Philadelphia novelist and psychiatrist, Dr.
Mohsenian will debut his sixth book and
fifth novel with this event. Published by
Ketab Publishing Corporation, Gold for
Sugar is a collection of short stories and a novella
encompassing East and West.
The Iranian-American author presents many of these cultural conflicts in the form of stories. Utilizing the lens of
understandings and misunderstandings between the two countries, Dr. Mohsenian explores topics of religion,
race, prejudice, integration, and exploitation as he offers insights into life and love. He looks into mankind’s
struggle in the face of all kinds of intrusions. Gold for Sugar is a human drama influenced by events Dr.
Mohsenian has witnessed.
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Dr. Javad Mohsenian - As a member of the Bucks County Writers Workshop in Doylestown,
PA, the physician-author received recognition in a contest for a story of the supernatural; one of
his writing pieces, about the escape of a member of a brutalized religious minority to the
western world, was compared with the acclaimed novel The Kite Runner written by Khaled
Hosseini.
Inspired by the living conditions of farmers in his homeland, Dr. Mohsenian wrote his first novel,
Waves in the Wheat Fields, while still a high school student. After passing Iran’s competitive medical school
entrance examination, he wrote a bestselling guide to college entrance exams, which enabled him to publish
his first novel. Other published works include: Today is also Late, depicting the struggle of youth against old
traditions in his native country, Persian Moonlight, a love story, and 9/11 Children, his first book for young
readers.

2. Dr. Thomas Ricks is an independent scholar following forty years of teaching and researching
in the Middle East. He has taught at University of Pennsylvania, Villanova University,
Georgetown University, and Macalester College.
A graduate of the University of Notre Dame, Dr. Ricks taught English as a Peace Corps
Volunteer in the Iran III Project from 1964 to 1966 in the high schools of Mashhad and
Mahabad (Iran). He returned to the United States to attend Indiana University for graduate studies in Persian
Language and Literature (M.A.) and in Middle Eastern History (Ph.D.). Dr. Ricks returned to Iran to complete
his doctoral research, and to teach Middle East history at the Tehran International School (Iranzamin) in
Tehran, Iran. Since then, Dr. Ricks co-published two works on Modern Persian literature, a textbook on the
Middle East: Past and Present, published his dissertation on Southern Iran and the ports of the Persian Gulf,
and compiled and edited the diaries and papers of Dr. Khalil Totah of Ramallah, Occupied West Bank,
Palestine.
Dr. Mustapha Shayegan will lend his musical talents to the evening by
sharing Persian culture on the iconic sitar and the santour. The santour is a
trapezoid shaped hammered dulcimer or string musical instrument made of
walnut, with seventy two strings. The sitar is a plucked stringed instrument
used mainly in Hindustani music and Indian classical music.
A graduate of Tehran University School of Medicine, Dr. Shayegan fulfilled his
medical-surgical internship at Bergen Pines Hospital in Paramus, N.J. He completed his
ophthalmology residency at Hahnemann University in Philadelphia. Subsequently, Dr.
Shayegan advanced his training at Hahnemann University, earning an oculoplastic
surgery fellowship. Dr. Shayegan has remained at Hahnemann University where he is now Assistant Professor
of Ophthalmology.
Hasan Shahpari will showcase his musical talents on taar, a Persian long-necked, waisted
instrument, shared by many cultures and countries like Iran, Armenia, Georgia, Republic of
Azerbaijan, and other areas near the Caucasus region.
Hasan Shahpari is a member of the Department of Sociology faculty at Villanova University.
Prior to beginning his teaching career, Shahpari was the Director of Social Research and
General Director at Iranian National Radio and Television. Dr. Shahpari received his Bachelor’s
Degree in Economics from Shiraz (Pahlavi) University and his Masters of Business from the
Harvard Business School affiliate, Iran Center for Management Studies (ICMS). He earned his
Master’s Degree in Medical Sociology and Ph.D. in areas of Stratification, Culture, Sociological
Theory and Religion from the University of Pennsylvania. He has been the Chairperson of a
sundry panel discussions in the United States as well as in a world conference on Muslim
Philosopher, Mulla Sadra in Iran.
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3. Philadelphia Art Alliance
Who We Are
Philadelphia Art Alliance (PAA) is Philadelphia’s center for contemporary craft and design. We are an
exhibition space housed in an historic building, presenting up to twelve new exhibitions per year. We host
artist’s talks, exhibition tours, concerts, gourmet tastings, workshops for families and children, and much more!
We welcome our visitors to experience craft and design in new and innovative ways.
Origins
Philanthropist Christine Wetherill Stevenson established the PAA in 1915 with the goal of uniting the arts by
presenting music, theater, painting, and sculpture in a single venue. In 1926, the PAA moved from its
temporary quarters on Walnut Street into Mrs. Stevenson’s family home on Rittenhouse Square. Over the
years, the PAA’s offerings have included exhibitions by artists such as Mary Cassatt, Andrew Wyeth, Horace
Pippin, Antonio Gaudi, George Nakashima, Man Ray, and Weegee, as well as readings and performances by
W.H. Auden, E. E. Cummings, Dorothy Parker, Martha Graham, and Alvin Ailey.
What We Do
From its earliest days, PAA’s exhibition program has featured the work of craftsmen, designers, and artists
working in a variety of media. With this heritage in mind and recognizing an unmet need in the local arts
community, PAA has re-imagined its contemporary art exhibition program to focus on craft and design. Recent
exhibitions have featured new work by Candy DePew, Gils Bakker, The Miss Rockaway Armada, Adam
Wallacavage, Molly Hatch, Emily Spivack, Sabrina Gschwandtner, Song Dong, and Yin Xiuzhen.
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Upcoming Events at the Philadelphia Art Alliance
Gallery Tour and Curated Cocktails with Chief Curator Melissa Caldwell
November 19, 2015 - 4 PM
Open to the public
HomeWork
An exhibition
December 8, 2015 - January 3, 2016
ToyMaker’s Tea
Enjoy delightful petit fours and tea by Le Cheri (accent to be added later) as your young ones enjoy craft
making sessions for the Holidays.
December 12-13, 2015
December 19-20, 2015
Hush
An exhibition
Opening Reception: January 21, 2016 - 6-8PM
Limited access elevator to the third floor and wheelchair accessible entrance.