Gina B. Nahai University of Southern California Master of Professional Writing Program 3501 Trousdale Parkway Mark Taper Hall of Humanities,THH 355 Los Angeles, California 90089-0355 Phone: (213) 740-3252 [email protected] www.ginabnahai.com Education University of Southern California, Master of Professional Writing, 1988. Worked with Hubert Selby Junior, John Rechy. University of California, Los Angeles, MA, Political Science: International Relations, 1982. Worked with Arthur Stein, Steven Spiegel. University of California, Los Angeles, BA, Political Science, 1981. Professional Appointments--Teaching University of Southern California, Full Time Lecturer, Master of Professional Writing Program, (2007-present) University of Southern California, Half Time Lecturer, Master of Professional Writing Program, (1999-2007) University of Southern California, Lecturer, Freshman Writing Program, (1985-1988) Book Publications The Luminous Heart of Jonah S., Novel, Akashic, October 2014 Caspian Rain, Novel, MacAdam/Cage, 2007 1 Sunday’s Silence, Novel, Harcourt, 2001 Moonlight on the Avenue of Faith, Novel, Harcourt, 1999 Cry of the Peacock, Novel, Crown, 1992 Essays/Chapters in Anthologies Upcoming in 2015-“Mizrahi Life in America”, The Journal of the Casden Institute, 2015 “The Gravedigger’s Kaddish,” Tehran Noir, Akashic Books, 2014 “Tehran Noir,” short story, Fall 2014 “In Literature,” The Persian Square, 2013 “The Third Temple,” The Journal of the Casden Institute at USC, 2009-2010 "The Pearl Cannon", Triquarterly, 2008-2009 Chapter in If Salt Had Memory, 2008-2009 Essay in Shma' Magazine, 2008-2009 Essay in 614: HBI, 2007-2008 Essay, "Mercy" in Modern Jewish Girl's Guide to Guilt, 2006-2007 Short story, “Murder in Holmby Hills” in Tremors, New Fiction by Iranian American Writers, 2013 Excerpts from Cry of the Peacock, Posen Library of Jewish Literature, 2013 Magazine/Newspaper/ Online Publications Monthly Column, “Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles,” 2010-present Jewish LA, “The Jewish Forward,” October, 2014 2 Book Reviews: “A Promising Premise that Goes Nowhere,” Review of The Master Butchers Singing Club By Louise Erdich, Chicago Tribune, February 9, 2003 “An Authentic Voice from the Margins,” Review of Roofwalker By Susan Power, Chicago Tribune, November 10, 2002 “Behind the Veil,” Review of ESTHER’S CHILDREN: A Portrait of Iranian Jews Edited By Houman Sarshar, Los Angeles Times, June 9, 2002 “Destiny’s Child,” Review of I, the Divine: A Novel in First Chapters By Rabih Alameddine, Los Angeles Times, December 16, 2001 “A Father’s Debilitating Illness Cripples His Daughter,” Review of An Invisible Sign of My Own by Aimee Bender, San Francisco Chronicle, June 16, 2000 “The Last Great Revolution,” Review of The Last Great Revolution: Turmoil and Transformation in Iran By Robin Wright, San Francisco Chronicle, May 14, 2000 Articles: “No Matter What, We’ve Already Won,” Huffington Post, June 18, 2009 “Iran’s Never-Ending Movie,” TheWrap.com, May 11, 2009 “What You Don’t Know About Your College Education,” Huffington Post, January 6, 2009 “It Gets Worse,” Huffington Post, January 6, 2009 “And You Thought Walmart Employees Had It Bad,” Huffington Post, December 15, 2008 “The Great Shame of America’s Colleges,” Huffington Post, December 14, 2008 “Even Paranoid People Have Real Enemies,” Huffington Post, February 27, 2008 “The Lesser of All Tyrants,” Huffington Post, June 19, 2007 3 “The Unintended Benefits of the Mess in Iraq,” Huffington Post, June 15, 2007 “Bush’s Next Job,” The Huffington Post, June 6, 2006 “Persian Gardens,” Los Angeles Times, April 20, 2006 “On to the Vatican,” Huffington Post, June 1, 2005 “Where I Live,” Los Angeles Times, January 13, 2005 “An L.A. Author Feels San Francisco’s Chill,” Los Angeles Times, January 4, 2002 Theater: Becoming American (one act), staged reading by Jewish Women’s Theater, 4 performances, March 2012; staged reading at UCLA’s Fowler Museum, November 2012 Persian Gardens (one act), staged reading by Jewish Women’s Theater, 4 performances, March 2012; staged reading at UCLA’s Fowler Museum, November 2012 Cooking Lessons (one act), staged reading by Jewish Women’s Theater, 4 performances, May 19-26, 2013 Saffron and Rosewater, staged reading, November 23, 2013; 92nd Street Y, Kaufman Concert Hall. Honors and Awards Finalist, National Jewish Book Award, The Luminous Heart of Jonah S., 2014 Finalist, Essay, Los Angeles Press Club Award, 2013 Moonlight on the Avenue of Faith selected as one of “The Best LA Books/Fiction” by the Los Angeles Times, October 4, 2011 Finalist, Essay, Los Angeles Press Club Award, 2011 Winner, First Place, Persian Heritage Award 2008 Finalist, Essay, Los Angeles Press Club Award, 2008 Caspian Rain nominated by MacAdam Cage Publishing for the National Book Award, 2007 Caspian Rain nominated by MacAdam Cage Publishing for the Pulitzer Prize, 2007 Caspian Rain selected as “One of the Best Books of the Year,” Chicago Tribune, December, 2007 4 Caspian Rain selected as “One of the Best Books of the Year,” San Francisco Chronicle, December, 2007 Finalist, Essay, Los Angeles Press Club Award, 2007 Judge, Fiction/First Fiction Category: LA Times Book Prizes, 2005, 2006 Winner: Simon Rockower Award, 2002 Sunday’s Silence selected as “One of the Best Books of the Year,” Los Angeles Times, December, 2001 Final Long List: Orange Prize for Fiction, 2000 Finalist: IMPAC Award, 2000 Finalist: Harold U. Ribalow Award, 2000 Moonlight on the Avenue of Faith selected as “One of the Best Books of the Year,” Los Angeles Times, December, 1999 Cry of the Peacock nominated by Crown Publishers for the Pulitzer Prize, 1992 First Place: Los Angeles Arts Council Award for Fiction, 1988 First Place: Distinguished Masters Thesis Award, USC, 1988 First Place: Phi Kappa Phi Award, USC, 1986 Honorable Mention: Nelson Algren Award, Chicago Magazine, 1985 Professional Recognition American Jewish University’s “Burning Bush Award,” 2010 Bradeis University’s National Women’s Committee Award, 2008 Brandeis University, “Words, Wit, and Wisdom” Award (Twice) Honoree, Hadassah, North America Honoree, Jewish National Fund Honoree, B’nai Zion, Western Region Languages Fluent in French, Spanish, Persian Departmental/University Service New Courses Developed Writer’s Marketplace, designed to educate students in the business aspect of publishing. Oral History: Witness and Writing, designed to train writers of all disciplines (fiction, non- fiction, screen and television writing) in development of Character, Conflict, and Plot. A unique aspect of this class is the use of the archives of the Shoah Institute. 5 Fiction Workshop, the Novel, designed to help novelists conceive, develop, outline, and create a full-length novel. Course Continuity in a Crisis, designed to allow classes to be held remotely during and after an emergency. Courses Taught Fiction Workshop Fiction Workshop, the Novel Writer’s Marketplace (formerly entitled Literary Marketplace) Literature and Approaches to Writing the Novel Oral History, Witness and Writing Literature and Approaches to Writing the Novel Teaching Innovations and Multi-Media Teaching Fellowship from USC’s Shoah Foundation Institute, “for incorporating the study of the center’s video archives,through video and distance learning technology, into a course curriculum.” Summer, 2013 C3 Grant, sponsored by the Office of the Provost, “to pilot various types of assignments and technologies, and to assess their effectiveness in supporting learning on an emergency basis and as a temporary replacement for face-to-face teaching.” Spring, 2013. Learning Environments grant from USC’s Center for Scholarly Technology, to “encourage the adoption of mobile computing technology and instructional strategies that leverage the new features of these renovated spaces.” Fall, 2013 Thesis Advisement for Credit Between Summer 2008, and Spring 2014 I advised 45 students in Directed Research or Thesis Project. Development In 2012, I secured Fellowships for my students from the Shoah Institute. In 2008, I secured an offer for an annual $10,000 Poetry Award, with publication, for MPW students from MacAdam Cage Publishers. In 2009, I secured offer of an annual 6 scholarship from the Casden Institute for work with a Jewish theme. I also served for one semester in 2010 as Faculty Liaison for the USC MPW Alumni Association. Outreach/Community Partnerships Between 2007 and 2010, I produced and moderated panels of experts in publishing, film, and television. In 2007-2008, I organized a partnership and created blueprint for "One Book, One City" program at USC, in partnership with Mayor Villaraigosa’s office. In 2008, I suggested and helped design a Summer Writers' Conference at USC. Committee Service I have served on the Admissions Committee (reading, evaluating, and recommending applicant files) and Thesis Approval Committee (reading and evaluating students’ Master’s thesis). Conferences Speaker/Presenter: Iranian American Women’s Leadership Conference, Orange County, CA, September 8, 2013 Iranian American Women’s Leadership Conference, Washington, D.C., June 23, 2012 Cal State University, Long Beach Writer’s Conference, November 10, 2011 Iranian American Women’s Leadership Conference, Irvine, California, October 23, 2011 Jewish Libraries Association Annual Conference, June 18, 2011 Attendee: History, Unlimited, UCLA April 21, 2012 American Jewish Congress, 2012 Digital Book Conference, Book Expo America, May 2010 Lectures Upcoming in 2015 July 16-The Gathering, Keystone College May 22-University Synagogue,