Dumas is one of three finalists for the award, in running against Jon Stewart

She comes To Levantine Cultural Center on November 7

[LOS ANGELES, OCT. 20, 2005] Firoozeh Dumas, author of the popular memoir, "Funny in Farsi" (Random House), is the first American author of Middle Eastern heritage to have been nominated for the annual Thurber Prize for American Humor. She is one of three finalists for the award. The others are the Daily Show's Jon Stewart, and Andy Borowitz, author of "The Borowitz Report: The Big Book of Shockers." She comes to Levantine Cultural Center on Monday, Nov. 7, 7:30 pm.

Critics nationwide have praised Firoozeh Dumas' debut book, "Funny in Farsi, A Memoir of Growing Up Iranian in America" a collection of essays about her immigrant experiences with her family. The book was a finalist for the PEN award in the Creative Nonfiction category and for an Audie Award. Dumas is a frequent commentator for National Public Radio. In addition, her one-woman show "Laughing Without an Accent," has been delighting sold-out audiences nationally for months.

Wrote the Library Journal, "Today, as Middle Easterners in the United States are subject to racial profiling, stereotyping, and sometimes violence, this book provides a valuable glimpse into the immigrant experiences of one very entertaining family." The San José Mercury News wrote, "...a hilarious collection of essays that dish up many sides of the immigrant experience..." And the Voice of America noted that her book "...gives
American readers an inside view of the immigrant experience..."

By from amazon.com

The 2005 Thurber Prize for American Humor is to be conferred upon the author and publisher of the outstanding book of humor writing published in the United States between January 1, 2004 and December 31, 2004. Initiated in 1996, the Thurber Prize is the nation's highest recognition of the art of humor writing. The award carries with it $5,000 for the winning author and commemorative plaques for each finalist. The winner of the 2005 Thurber Prize will be announced in a ceremony at the Algonquin Hotel in New York on November 14. See www.thurberhouse.com for details.

Firoozeh Dumas was born in Abadan, Iran and moved to Whittier, California at the age of seven. After a two-year stay, she and her family moved back to Iran and lived in Ahvaz and Tehran. Two years later, they moved back to Whittier, then to Newport Beach. Firoozeh then attended UC Berkeley where she met and married a Frenchman. She grew up listening to her father, a former Fulbright Scholar, recount the many colorful stories of his life. In 2001, with no prior writing experience, Firoozeh decided to write her stories as a gift for her two children. Random House published these stories in 2003. "Funny in Farsi" has been on the SF Chronicle and LA Times bestseller lists. For the past year and a half, Firoozeh has traveled the country reminding us that our commonalities far outweigh our differences…and doing so with humor. She has spoken in conferences, schools, churches, Jewish temples and Islamic centers. Everywhere she has gone, audiences have embraced her message of shared humanity and invited her back for more.

Firoozeh Dumas comes to Levantine Cultural Center on Monday, November 7, 7:30 pm, for an evening of live performance and readings celebrating Iranian culture in the American diaspora. Copies of "Funny in Farsi" will be on hand for signing and gift-giving for the holiday season. Tickets are just $10/$7 members. Seating is limited; advance purchase recommended, www.levantinecenter.org or call 310.559.5544 to RSVP.