"They are part of a growing number of artists inside and outside Iran who are mobilizing to support the movement," Tohidi said.
Nooriala, 62, works out of her condo, decorated with richly hued Persian carpets and photos of family and famous Iranian poets, including Behbahani. Lively and candid, her words punctuated with frequent laughs, Nooriala pours out stories of a tumultuous life even as she jumps up to bring out watermelon, sandwiches, cucumbers and coffee. Her blond hair has darkened with age, but she still favors red in the stripes of her shirt and accents in her kitchen -- a bold color she embraced after divorcing her husband, who preferred more muted hues.
She writes daily blog posts, attends a whirl of poetry conferences and gives frequent interviews about events in Iran to international news outlets, including Voice of America. She has published nine collections of poems, literary critiques and short stories -- almost all of them written in California after escaping the censors of Iran.
Her work is included in several anthologies, including "The Poetry of Iranian Women" due out next year. In February, she was honored with a certificate of recognition from state Assembly Majority Whip Fiona Ma.
Nooriala has written about the failures of the Islamic revolution, erotic love and such taboo women's subjects as abortion and menopause. She recently posted a piece dedicated to Iranians protesting the country's presidential election.
I have seen your nightmares in my dreams
I have kept your sorrows in my heart
I picked a dandelion flown about by the wind
Bringing me news, anxiety and trembling hands
If you are tied down
I shall be your wings
If you are at war
I shall be your armor
Your voice
will fly through the blue sky again,
And your free hands
will weave through the sun again.
A few miles away in Encino, her daughter spends five or six hours a day furiously sharing information, videos and commentary about events in Iran on Facebook. Never overtly political before, Sepanlou says she, like many young Iranian Americans, is consumed by the drama in her homeland.
As she led a visitor into her bedroom office, she apologized for the children's toys and box of baby wipes on the carpeted floor of her spacious home.
"I haven't cleaned or grocery shopped. I haven't paid my bills. I feel I've been a terrible mom," says Sepanlou, dressed in jeans and casual ponytail in contrast to the glamorous looks of her publicity stills.
