Ali Alizadeh is a poet, critic, playwright and academic. He is an agnostic, often a cynic and a believer in nonviolence. The central concerns of his writing are history, dissent and spirituality. Born in Iran in 1976, he has lived and traveled in Australia, China and France, among other places. His books include Eyes in Times of War http://www.saltpublishing.com/books/smp/1844712877.htm  (Cambridge: Salt, 2006) and eliXir: a story in poetry http://www.gu.edu.au/text/school/art/text/oct03/mangeni.htm  (Melbourne: Grendon, 2002). His performance writing includes A Sufi Valentine http://www.innersense.com.au/events/sufi.html  (Melbourne: La Mama Theatre, 2004) and Elixir http://www.d-v-s.com.au/elixir.htm  (Melbourne: The Storeroom, 2002). He holds a PhD in writing from Deakin University Melbourne (topic: epic poetry), has taught at a number of universities, and is the current reviews editor of Cordite Poetry Review http://www.cordite.org.au/ .