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Abacus of Loss is a remarkable achievement, an unforgettable text.
— Kaveh Akbar
One of 8+ Beautiful, Contemporary Novels Written in Verse That Make Poetry Accessible
— Mary Sue Magazine
One of 17 Poetry Collections to read during Women’s History Month
— The Orion Journal
Abacus of Loss examines the masks of patriarchy in powerful metaphor and narrative.
— Linda Scheller, Colorado Review
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Sholeh Wolpé, photo by Sophie Kandaouroff

Sholeh Wolpé is an Iranian-born poet, playwright and librettist. Her performances, solo or in collaboration with musicians and artists, have been hailed by audiences as mesmerizing.  

Her literary work includes six collections of poetry, several plays, three books of translations, and three anthologies.

Wolpé’s most recent book is a memoir in verse, Abacus of Loss (2022) in which according to Prism International: “Desire and love exist in terrifying worlds” yet they are handled with “silken language.” The book is hailed by Ilya Kaminsky as a book “that created its own genre—a thrill of lyric combined with the narrative spell.”

The Seven Valleys by Sholeh Wolpe at The Getty Villa Museum

Sholeh Wolpé was the subject of the Metropolitan Museum of Art Spotlight.

Song of Exile, Music: Saunder Choi, Text: Sholeh Wolpe Arlington Chorale performance, 2023.

For subtitle text, watch on Youtube with subtitles turned on.

Musicians looking to work with sholeh as a lyricist, contact Sholeh Wolpe here

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15-min. film - Abacus of Loss Sholeh Wolpé

The Conference of the Birds - A semi-staged oratorio