In this episode, Leyla sits down with acclaimed filmmaker Jasmin Mozaffari to discuss her short film Motherland, a poignant exploration of cultural identity, family trauma, and resilience. Jasmin reflects on her upbringing as a neem-rooni (half-Iranian, half-Canadian) in post-9/11 North America, the generational trauma of Iranian immigrants, and ho…

In this lesson, we introduce the poem ān kas ké bedānad va bedānad ké bedānad by Ibn Yamin and discuss it with Alan Eyre.Par Chai & Conversation

In this discussion on Hafez's barafshān, we go over the last two lines of the poem.Par Chai & Conversation

In this discussion on Hafez's barafshān, we go over the fifth and sixth line of the poem.Par Chai & Conversation

In this discussion on Hafez's barafshān, we go over the third and fourth line of the poem.Par Chai & Conversation

Kaveh Akbar is the Iranian-American author of the critically acclaimed and heavily lauded novel Martyr! In our long-awaited conversation we dive deep into the themes of his powerful book, Martyr, which explores the human cost of so-called “collateral damage” and the real-world trauma often reduced to mere statistics in Western media. I had so much …

In this second part of the discussion for Hafez's barafshān, we go over the first two lines of the poem in detail.Par Chai & Conversation

In this introductory lesson on Hafez's poem barafshān, we're joined by musician Fared Shafinury to go over the overall meaning of the poem. You can hear Fared's version of this poem in this track from his debut album.Par Chai & Conversation

In this lesson, we watch a clip of a heated conversation between Nader and Simin, the title characters of the movie. This is a fast paced conversation, and gives us a glimpse at a type of conversation we may not often be privy to in the Persian language. This is the final episode in our series on clips from the movie A Separation by Asghar Farahadi…

In this follow up episode about Khayyam's poem rendee deedam, we go over the poem word by word, line by line, to understand each part individually. We'll also learn how to use the particular words and phrases in current conversation.Par Chai & Conversation

In this lesson about clips from the movie A Separation by Asghar Farahadi, we watch a conversation between Nader and Hojjat, Razieh's husband, about potential work Hojjat will be doing for Nader. We're joined in this episode by friend of the show, Yara Elmjouie.Par Chai & Conversation

In this special shabé shehr episode, we are joined by Alan Eyre, the first (and last) ever Persian language spokesperson for the U.S. State Department. Alan has a little book with lines of his favorite Persian poetry, and he shares one of those poems with us in this episode.Par Chai & Conversation

In this lesson, we watch a clip of the movie A Separation by Asghar Farahadi in which Nader and Razieh have a conversation about the potential for her husband to come work for Nader. We're joined in this episode by friend of the show, Yara Elmjouie.Par Chai & Conversation

In this lesson, we go over the last two lines of the poem aybé rendān makon by Hafez. The lines are as follows: حافظا روزِ اجل گر به کف آری جامی hāfezā roozé ajal gar bé kaf āree jāmee Oh Hafez, if you have a chalice in your hand when you die یک سر از کویِ خرابات بَرَندَت به بهشت yek sar az koo-yé kharābāt barandat bé behesht They’ll take you direc…

In this lesson, we go over the following lines of the poem aybé rendān makon by Hafez: نه من از پردهٔ تقوا به درافتادم و بس na man az pardé-yé taghva bā dar oftādam o bas پدرم نیز بهشتِ ابد از دست بهشت pedaram neez behishté abad az dast beheshtPar Chai & Conversation

In this lesson, we go over the following lines of the poem aybé rendān makon by Hafez: همه کس طالبِ یارند چه هشیار و چه مست hamé kas tālebé yārand ché hoshyār o ché mast همه جا خانهٔ عشق است چه مسجد چه کِنِشت hamé jā khāna-yé ʿeshgh ast ché masjed ché kenestPar Chai & Conversation

In this discussion on Hafez's aybé rendān makon, we go over the third and fourth line of the poem.Par Chai & Conversation