Learn Persian with Chai and Conversation

In this episode of Growing Up Irooni , I sit down with Neema Naz—comedian, content creator, and the internet’s favorite Persian son—to talk about his rise from Scarborough’s multicultural neighborhood to international stages. Neema shares how being the “funny kid” at family gatherings led to his career in comedy, why his Iranian identity is core to his storytelling, and how his whole family (espec...

Growing Up Irooni - Gissou Nia, Human Rights Lawyer, on Justice, Diaspora Identity, and the Power of Speaking Up In this episode, Leyla talks with Gissou Nia, a leading international human rights lawyer and Director of the Strategic Litigation Project at the Atlantic Council. Gissou shares her journey from growing up Iranian-American in New Jersey to taking on some of the world’s most urgent human...

Babak Tafreshi is an incredibly inspiring Iranian photographer, science journalist and amateur astronomer. He got his start photographing in Iran, but has since moved to the United States. He is the creator and director of The World At Night, an international program in which photographers from around the world capture images of night skies as seen above notable landmarks of the planet.

In this episode, Leyla sits down with Naz Deravian, the wonderful author of the cookbook Bottom of the Pot, to discuss how she started the tradition of growing sabzé for Nowruz (the Perisan new year) along with her international group of followers. Growing sabzé is an integral part of the Nowruz tradition. It acts as the centerpiece for the table we need to set up for Nowruz. She'll be starting on...

In this episode, Leyla sits down with Florida Representative Anna Eskamani, the first Iranian-American to serve in the Florida Legislature, to discuss her immigrant Iranian parents and how her mother's values continue to lead her as she's making big waves in Florida politics. Anna is a liberal politician in a sea of hostile Republican colleagues and now faces even more challenges at the federal le...

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 how her father’s story during the Iran Hostage Cris...

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

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

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

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

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 I wanted to ask Kaveh about the deeply personal a...

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

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.

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 with guest Yara Elmjouie.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 directly from the winehouse street to heaven

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 behesht

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 kenest

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

In this lesson, we go over the individual words and phrases in the first two lines of the poem, aybé rendān makon by Hafez:  عیبِ رندان مَکُن ای زاهدِ پاکیزه سرشت ʿaybé rendān makon ay zāhedé pākeezé seresht که گناهِ دگران بر تو نخواهند نوشت ké gonāhé deegarān bar tu nakhāhand nevesht

In this introductory lesson to one of Hafez's most famous poems, aybé rendān makon, we're joined by Muhammad Ali of Persian Poetics to go over the overall meaning of the poem and give a bit of an introduction to Hafez and his significance in Iranian culture. In subsequent lessons, Leyla will be going over the word by word, phrase by phrase, to provide an even deeper understanding to the poem.

In this lesson, we cover the words and phrases learned in the poem, and how to use them in everyday conversation. Related links: khosh bāsh by Khayyam