A Letter from the Editors

Dear Reader,

We are honored to present this semester’s issue of Perspective Magazine, and are immensely proud of the articles therein and grateful to our writers. In this issue, you will find heavy reflections of what it means to be Iranian over the last few months, deep dives into Iranian history, and examinations of the lives of literary figures in Iranian history. There are also stories and poems, both in Persian and in English. We hope you find as much joy in reading these articles as we did through the process of writing, editing, and rewriting. Our front cover is simple, but the sunny skies above Golestan Palace and the bright colors remind us of new beginnings and the classic firouzeh turquoise of Iran.

As we transition out of this academic year and pass on the leadership of Perspective, we would like to express how special this publication is to us as editors-in-chief — the community it has built, the ideas it has fostered, and the outlet it has provided, especially in these times. Despite the severe consequences of the pandemic, both in monetary terms, and the loss of our main continuing core of writers (most graduating), we managed to keep Perspective alive, publishing this and the preceding issues without sacrificing content or style. We have been so lucky to guide such a wonderful group of writers in producing Fall and Spring issues that we are truly proud of, and are honored to showcase the talent of our Iranian writers and poets on campus. The topics in this issue are indicative of our conversations as a diaspora here at Berkeley, and there is much to be learned from the knowledge of our classmates who share a love for our country and want to see it and its people thrive. We wish the absolute best for our successors, and hope to see editions of Perspective Magazine at Berkeley for many years to come.

We are sorry to say goodbye but think, with this semester’s issue, that we leave on a beautiful note. We remain, as always,

Yours,

M. Rastgoo

Neda Nasseri Editors-in-Chief