Jasmin Darznik

Jasmin Darznik is an Associate Professor and Chair of both the Graduate Writing Program and the Graduate Visual and Critical Studies Program at the California College of the Arts (CCA). She holds a Ph.D. in English from Princeton University, a J.D. from the University of California, San Francisco, and an MFA in Fiction from Bennington College. Her academic and creative work centers on literature, historical fiction, and narratives of women and diaspora.

Her research interests include creative writing, historical and biographical fiction, women’s studies, Iranian diaspora experiences, and literary nonfiction. She is particularly known for reclaiming lost or suppressed stories of women, especially those from Iran and immigrant backgrounds, and for exploring the intersections of art, identity, and memory.

While no peer-reviewed academic articles are listed, her literary publications form a significant body of work that engages with historical and cultural themes. Her novels and memoir have been widely recognized and translated into multiple languages.

Darznik has received numerous prestigious awards and fellowships, including the Writer’s Center First Novel Prize, fellowships from Yaddo and the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, the Steinbeck Fellowship, and the Barbara Deming Memorial Fund Grant. She is a New York Times bestselling author and her works have been selected as Editor’s Choices and Best Books by major publications.

She is actively involved in teaching and mentoring in graduate writing programs and has no indication of retirement or part-time status. There is no information provided about her advising specific students or leading formal research labs or teams, but her leadership as a program chair underscores her institutional impact.