Roxana Shirazi

Roxana Shirazi is an Iranian-born author, journalist, actress, and feminist provocateur whose debut memoir, The Last Living Slut: Born in Iran, Bred Backstage (HarperCollins), earned prize-winning international attention for its fearless candor. Known for fusing personal risk with gonzo reporting, she has written on politics, sexuality, and identity across both Western and Middle Eastern contexts. Raised in Tehran during the Revolution and war, she was sent alone to England at the age of ten, where she endured racism, abuse, and dislocation before carving out a voice that defies cultural taboos. Her investigations and lived experiences have taken her from underground music scenes to mob circles, from clandestine border crossings to encounters with white supremacists. Praised as raw, shocking, and intellectually sharp, Shirazi has been compared to Anthony Bourdain for her immersive, unvarnished style. Beyond writing, she is passionate about animal welfare, the subcultures of Victorian East London, and the cultural icons who shaped her sensibility—from the Rat Pack to Jim Morrison to Christine Keeler.