With Hamed Farmand
When survivors write their own stories, they gain greater control over what to tell, how to tell it, and what to leave untold. Self-writing can become an act of reclaiming voice, agency, and authorship after trauma. In this workshop, I will reflect on my own experiences, both as the author of a childhood memoir and as someone who accompanied my grandmother as she wrote her own life story. Survivors, like my grandmother, may have strong and understandable reasons for finding it difficult to trust the process of being interviewed for their oral history. During more than 90 years of life, she lived through the Second World War, the 1953 coup and the 1979 Revolution in Iran, the extrajudicial killings of her daughter and son-in-law, the executions of two sons and her pregnant daughter-in-law, the imprisonment of her eldest daughter, and her own arrest and torture. Audio recorders, pens, and written interviews caused her particular discomfort because these same tools had been used during her interrogations. Yet, through writing her own story, she was able to take control of the process and tell her experiences in her own words.
Hamed Farmand is a children’s rights activist, educator, author, and storyteller. He is the founder of Children of Imprisoned Parents International (COIPI) and a co-chair of the International Coalition for Children with Incarcerated Parents (INCCIP). Born and raised in Iran, he moved to the United States in 2010 and has lived in Tiohtià:ke/Montréal since 2022. His childhood was marked by profound loss: his mother was imprisoned for five years, his grandmother for three, and several members of his extended family were executed. For more than a decade, Hamed has dedicated his work to advocacy, public awareness, and supporting families affected by parental incarceration in the Iranian community and globally. He is the author of Missing Mum, a memoir about his childhood experiences of separation, loss, grief, and resilience.
REGISTRATION
Register now with this link
Please note that all our events are free and open to all, but registration is mandatory.
For any questions, please contact cohds.chorn@concordia.ca
LOCATION
In-person in LB-1019 (Sunroom), Centre for Oral History and Digital Storytelling (COHDS), Concordia University, 1400 de Maisonneuve Blvd. West, J.W. McConnell Building (Library Building).
COHDS/ALLAB is located on unceded Kanien’kehá:ka territory, in Tiohtiá:ke/Montreal.
