Shohreh Laici is an Iranian essayist and writer whose work explores the deep-rooted cultural crosscurrents between Iran and the West. My Room in Tehran Was Called America, a 2026 documentary directed by Pirooz Kalayeh, chronicles Laici’s transition from Iran to the United States. Laici is currently the2025–2027 Scholar in Exile at the University of Rochester Humanities Center, where she is completing her memoir.