MCC to present actress Heather Raffo

Award-winning Iraqi-American playwright/ actress Heather Raffo will give a dramatic reading of her work at 8 p.m. March 28, at the Performing Arts Center, Middlesex County College, Edison.

Raffo is the author and star of the onewoman show “Nine Parts of Desire,” an impassioned theatrical documentary about the lives of contemporary Iraqi women that played sold-out off-Broadway theaters for a year and now tours internationally.

Admission is free, but reservations are required by calling 732-634-0413.

Raffo’s Edison appearance is part of the “My New Life, My New Poem Festival of Contemporary Immigration Writing,” taking place March 27-29 at Middlesex County College and Barron Arts Center in Woodbridge.

The festival features readings and workshops by 22 acclaimed authors of poetry, fiction and drama and is sponsored by a grant from the New Jersey Council for the Humanities. For more information see www.mynewpoem. com.

In addition to her groundbreaking role in “Nine Parts of Desire,” Raffo has performed extensively in Shakespearean and classical drama, including national tours of “Macbeth,” “The Merry Wives of Windsor” and “The Rivals,” along with the title role in the world premiere of “The French Lieutenant’s Woman” at Fulton Opera House.