For the second part in our series of conversations with the authors featured in "My Shadow Is My Skin: Voices from the Iranian Diaspora," Assal sat down with Darius Atefar-Peckham, an up and coming poet whose contribution to the anthology, "Learning Farsi," is a reflection on his mother's passing when he was just 3 and the Iranian identity she handed down to him. "My Shadow is My Skin" is available at your local bookstore or...

Mana, Assal and Jamal discuss the Trump administration's new campaign to kill the Iran deal at the UN by claiming the US. is still a participant in the agreement. Then they talk through a troubling update on Sirous Asgari, the Iranian scientist unjustly detained by ICE, who has now contracted coronavirus (16:40).

Mana and Jamal discuss the campaign to suspend Iran sanctions during the corona crisis (1:50) and evaluate pro-sanctions talking points from the Wall Street Journal Editorial Board (5:10). Then physician Payam Parvinchiha joins Mana and Assal (15:18) for a group chat about the societal impact of coronavirus, why the U.S. was caught unprepared, and what we can do to fight the pandemic and support our health care workers.

One of the many great things about Yasmin Khan is that she feeds you both knowledge and tasty treats. Yasmin is a writer, cook and campaigner who loves to share people’s stories through food. She's also a regular media commentator and runs cooking classes, pop-up supper clubs and writing retreats around the world. Prior to immersing herself in the fragrances and flavors of the Persian kitchen, Yasmin worked as a human rights campaigner, running national and international campaigns for NGOs...

After listening to Narges Bajoghli speak, you might just reconsider your preconceived notions about Iran. She’s a post-doctoral research associate in international affairs at the Watson Institute at Brown University, and recently received her PhD socio-cultural anthropology from New York University. Her research focuses on pro-regime cultural producers in Iran, and is based on fieldwork conducted with Basij, Ansar-e Hezbollah, and Revolutionary Guard media producers in Iran, from 2009 to...

The world is going to hell in hand basket, and Fatima Ayub wants to talk to you about it. She’s a political scientist currently based in Jordan, with 15 years’ background in conflict, security and human rights issues in the Middle East and South Asia. She currently works with the global consulting firm Adam Smith International seeking solutions to Jordan’s economic challenges and is an associate policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations. She is also a professional contrarian...

You won't find a better Egypt analyst in the business than Tim Kaldas. He's a fellow at the Tahrir Institute for Middle East policy in Cairo, a visiting professor at Nile University in Cairo, and a professional wedding photographer that you should hire for all of your matrimonial needs. Tim's research focuses on transitional politics in Egypt, regime survival strategies, U.S.-Egypt relations, and much more. His commentary and analysis has been featured on CNN, the BBC, Al Jazeera, and many...

Maryam Jamshidi is one of the sharpest people I know, and I'm not just saying that because she's on this podcast! She's a lawyer and writer with over ten years of experience working on issues relating to the Middle East and North Africa. She's an acting assistant professor of law at NYU Law School. And she is the founder and editor-in-chief of Muftah.org, a digital magazine providing diverse perspectives on the Middle East and North Africa. Maryam and I talked about national security,...