Tala Khanmalek | mecca monarch (all pronouns) is a queer, disabled, Iranian writer, editor, and scholar. Their poetry has appeared in Split This Rock's beloved Poem of the Week Series for which they also served as a First Reader.
Image Description: Tala Khanmalek stands in front of a microphone on stage with papers in hand to read poems. Tala wears a black t-shirt with a denmin vest over it and hoop earrings. Tala's long, dark brown curls are worn lose over their left shoulder and down their back.