Read the winning piece of our 2025 Nonfiction Contest “Through the Mirror” by Jessie Cato selected by Lucy Ives.

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Photo of Zohreh Zadbood

Zohreh Zadbood

Zohreh Zadbood is an Iranian writer, poet, and photographer who writes in both English and Persian. She is currently working on her debut poetry collection as well as her first novel. She explores themes of love, healing, attachment, homesickness, self-love, and solidarity, with a significant focus on love in her prose and poetry. In addition to her literary pursuits, Zadbood is a visual storyteller whose artistic style seamlessly blends poetry and imagery. Her work has been featured in renowned publications and showcased in exhibitions in New York and London. Her first name, Zohreh, holds a special place in classical Persian poetry, where it symbolizes the planet Venus — an iconic representation of the lover. This profound connection, discovered later in her journey, after she began writing about love as a teenager, continues to inspire her work to this day.

Forough Farrokhzad Folio

Summer 2025

You’re My Midas’ Touch

By Zohreh Zadbood

Tired and tense, a day of offense, sweaty and buttery, then sweet home, a wide smile to me, wrinkle ’companies, frown line fades, heart eyes me loose over your thighs, […]