Aryanpour was born to a prominent Iranian family of literary men and women. Graduating from high school in Tehran with highest honors, she recieved a scholarship to continue her education abroad. She married a young physician, and together they left for the United States in 1957. After studying English Literature at Western Reserve University of Pennsylvania, and completed her studies with a degree in education at the University of Akron, Ohio. Back in Iran, she taught children's literature and philosophy of education at the College of Shemiran and the National University. She returned to college and received her M.L.S. degree in Library Sciences at Rutgers University in New Jersey, holding the position of librarian at the Center for Urban Policy Research.