Jasmin Darznik *08
/
Jasmin Darznik '08
Tags: Writer, Professor
Me in 50 words or less: New York Times bestselling author of three books exploring identity, migration, and women's untold histories. Chair of the MFA Writing Program at California College of the Arts. Forthcoming novel about Rita Hayworth (2026, Random House/ Ballantine). Born in Iran, raised in America. Passionate advocate for diverse voices and interdisciplinary storytelling.
Pronouns: She/her/hers
Department: English
Bio
Jasmin Darznik is the New York Times bestselling author of three books, including The Bohemians, a novel that imagines the friendship between photographer Dorothea Lange and her Chinese American assistant in 1920s San Francisco. A New York Times Book Review summer 2021 recommendation, The Bohemians is also one of Oprah Daily's best books of historical fiction for 2021. Her debut novel, Song of a Captive Bird, was a New York Times Book Review "Editors' Choice" and a Los Angeles Times bestseller. She is also the author of The Good Daughter: A Memoir of My Mother's Hidden Life.
Her books have been published in eighteen countries and her essays have appeared in the New York Times, Washington Post, and Los Angeles Times. Born in Iran, she came to America at age five. She holds an MFA in fiction from Bennington College, a J.D. from the University of California, and a Ph.D. in English from Princeton University.
As Associate Professor and Chair of the MFA Program in Writing at California College of the Arts in San Francisco, Darznik has built an innovative graduate program that leverages CCA's identity as an art school, encouraging writers to collaborate across disciplines with visual artists, filmmakers, and designers. The program welcomes both traditional and nontraditional students, particularly those from tech and professional backgrounds seeking creative transformation. Her fourth book, a novel about Rita Hayworth, is forthcoming in 2026 from Random House's Ballantine imprint.
I would like to:
Speak on a panel
Conduct a workshop
Share advice via phone or coffee chat
Let someone shadow me (1 day)