Morning Now Dawned: A Middle Eastern Kidlit Podcast
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In episode 1, I interview Moujan Adl, author of A Girl Named Mithra: A Poem About Yalda, the Winter Solstice.
About the book:
Join little Mithra as she recalls a Yalda celebration with her mother and describes the sights, sounds, and tastes of a magical winter solstice night. A message of hope and resilience, Mithra's story gives readers a joyful reminder of her namesake and what it represents, the triumph of good over evil, of light over darkness. Written in rhyming verse, the book includes a beautiful translation to Persian. The book also includes an introduction that explains the history and customs of the Iranian celebration of the winter solstice, including a reference to the poet Hafez. The exquisite illustrations are inspired by the traditional Gilaki clothing of northern Iran, and make children and inner children happy!
Learn More:
Pomegranate Publishing's website, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.
About Moujan Adl, author; Mona Danesh, illustrator, and Farzad Hemati, translator.
Here is Mona Danesh's online portfolio, and you can follow her on instagram as @nazarjoonart.
Learn more about Yalda from the Iran Touring and Tourism Organization.
To learn about Hafez' poetry: https://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/hafez/ A comprehensive encyclopedia article about Hafez, with reference to translations in English and German, among many other things.
Listen to the episode here.
Credits:
Theme Music: Paul Amiel
Technical Assistance: Dr. Eric Taylor, Ali Hattab
Facebook Page: facebook.com/groups/cmesuarizona/