Celina Naheed Simone is an Iranian-American writer in metro Atlanta.

Bio

Celina Naheed Simone is an Iranian-American writer in metro Atlanta, who publishes work under the pen name Celina Naheed. Her debut micro-chap, Glossary for the Last Iranian in Atlanta, appeared as part of Ghost City Press’ 2024 Summer Series (see Writing for her other publications).

A Georgia Youth Poet Laureate Finalist, she has partaken in the Adroit Summer Mentorship for Poetry (2023), Georgia’s Governor’s Honors Program for Communicative Arts (2023), and the University of Iowa’s Between the Lines Identity and Belonging Summer Writing Program for Poetry (2022). She is a University of Iowa BTL Continuation Grant Recipient for (Mis)Printed zine and a Riley’s Way Call for Kindness Foundation Fellow, awarded alongside other members of the Aster Lit team.

She founded her high school’s first literary magazine, (Mis)Printed, to fight against discriminatory book bans. Celina went on to found Qafiyah Review and became a Co-Editor-in-Chief of Aster Lit.

FAQs

  • When I started writing, I knew I wanted to explore my Iranian-American heritage and highlight the nuances of the diaspora I come from. Celina Naheed (my full name, minus the last part) gave me a persona that matched that goal.

    Some of my pieces are published under my birth name though (depends on the editor's preference!) Celina Simone and Celina Naheed have become important parts of my identity, so I love seeing the two converge for my full name: Celina Naheed Simone.

  • I love to play with form (my favorite is the Abecedarian) to approach large concepts like culture, gender, language, etc. Within these big themes, I like to find niches from my experience growing up as an Iranian-American in the South.

  • Outside of writing, I love finding new ways to communicate with others and help them find their own literary opportunities. With magazines such as Qafiyah Review and Aster Lit, I've used social media campaigns and web design to do just that (check out the "Editorial + Design Work" for examples).

    Other than design I have worked to develop programs like the Aster Lit Summer Internship, and lead workshops within my local community and online with writers like Porochista Khakpour, with my magazine the Qafiyah Review.