what a time - what a time.
my friend fran, who wrote/rode alongside me in the wilds of colorado sent me something laurie anderson read, that has been my north star in these painful times. "the fact that we cannot save everything does not mean we cannot save anything. and everything we can save is worth saving."
i keep revisiting the line about taking care of yourself and simultaneously taking care of something else. re-sculpting the language around care (self and otherwise) is generous. when we act outside of our own needs this becomes the highest, most principled way of loving ourselves. what is a wheatgrass shot if not to be strong for someone else who is not at any given moment.
i believe in you, your body, your mind; me, my body, my mind to withstand the waves that will inevitably come crashing whether they are personal or political. we need to individually and collectively remind ourselves of our power so as to not be swallowed by the jaws of grief. on the airplane i saw the gorgeous, quiet, and fierce film Minari and i am taking the wisdom of the grandma character(shout out to cooking like a grandma with lisa gross' new cookbook league of kitchens out now!). she tells the young boy riddled with heart problems that he is so strong and that his body is so strong. its assumed that his ability to heal and resolve his wound was rooted in the reminder of this affirmation. carolyn barrow did that for me the last time i was in LA after suffering from a chronic sinus infection: she loaded me up with needles, herbs and affirmations. from there i was able to do the work of healing and recovering because i left the room with a suitcase of new narratives.
what is the story we will tell each other? how can we send reminders of tenderness, empowerment, and joy while we also suffer? what are the ways you show up- tell me so i can add them to my suitcase.
i'm so grateful to share today's push pick: a brilliant illustrator and children's book author (and friend who asks the best questions over coffee, really a gift if you ask me). azadeh and i met during my residency at woodward, which she hosts with her husband. from there we blossomed into friends and creatives cheerleaders for each other. her new book, the one and only googoosh, chronicles the life of the legendary Iranian singer who went from madonna-level stardom to exile only to return with an epic concert in the year 2000. without further ado, meet azadeh.
|
|
|
|
Me with my spirit animal, the jumpy jerboa.
|
|
|
Azadeh Westergaard (aa-za-dé) is an Iranian-American writer, illustrator, and picture book collector based in New York. She is the author and illustrator of the newly released The One & Only Googoosh: Iran's Beloved Superstar and the author of A Life Electric: The Story of Nikola Tesla (illustrated by Júlia Sardà). She and her husband also co-host Woodward Residency, an artist’s residency in New York.
|
|
what kind of life do you want to live?
|
|
|
|
During challenging moments, I often turn to Thich Nhat Hanh for comfort and wisdom. I love this photo of him and looking at his kind face always calms me. Also, his book, No Mud, No Lotus, is one of my favorites. The main point in it being that just as the lotus flower needs the mud to blossom and bloom, our personal growth is a direct consequence of how we accept and work our way through our suffering.
|
|
|
My new book THE ONE & ONLY GOOGOOSH: IRAN'S BELOVED SUPERSTAR (November 12, 2024, Viking/Penguin Random House) is about the legendary Iranian singer and movie star, Googoosh (born Faegheh Atashin). Googoosh was at the prime of her career and on the brink of international stardom in the 1970s, but after the 1979 Iranian Revolution she was silenced and disappeared from public life for over twenty years until her triumphant return to the stage 20 years later.
It's hard to overstate how beloved Googoosh was and continues to be among Persian speakers. As one of her UK fans once said, "She is our equivalent of Madonna, Marilyn Monroe, Shirley Bassey, Tom Jones, Teletubbies — everything all rolled into one" or as Christiane Amanpour said in a 2022 CNN interview with Googoosh, "...before Madonna, before Beyoncé, Cher, before everybody, you were the mega pop-star."
The book has received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly and Kirkus, which described it as "a radiant love letter to a treasured artist—and to a long-gone way of life." The art has also been selected by jury to be included in the 2024 Original Art Show at the Society of Illustrators, which honors the year's best illustrated children's books published in the US.
|
|
azadeh's social impact project
|
|
|
|
Abdorrahman Boroumand Center for Human Rights in Iran, is a non-profit, non-governmental organization for the advancement of human rights and democracy in Iran. In addition to their important work, they also host the Omid (which means “hope” in Persian) Memorial on their website, which is a harrowing and moving catalog of victims of persecution in Iran.
|
|
|
azadeh's film of the week
|
|
|
|
No Land’s Song by Ayat Najafi is an incredible historic document of the challenges female singers face in present-day Iran. Here is the synopsis listed on the film’s website:
“Since the Islamic Revolution of 1979, women in Iran have been forbidden from singing solo in public – at least in front of a male audience. Defying censorship and taboos, young composer Sara Najafi is determined to organize an official concert for female solo singers in her hometown of Tehran. To gain support for this great challenge, Sara and Iranian singers Parvin Namazi and Sayeh Sodeyfi invite three singers from Paris: Elise Caron, Jeanne Cherhal and Emel Mathlouthi. They will work on the music project on site and thereby revive a musical connection between France and Iran.”
|
|
|
azadeh's song of the week
|
|
|
|
I love duets — whether they be instrumental or vocal. This 1970’s duet between the Iranian singers Googoosh and Martik is one of my all-time favorites. The two of them have great chemistry and this song just exudes joy.
|
|
|
azadeh's article of the week
|
|
|
|
The Jungle Prince of Delhi is a mesmerizing 2019 article by Ellen Barry that’s stayed with me over the years. Aside from the fact that it’s beautifully written, the subject matter is just wild. Here is the NY Times intro blurb: “For 40 years, journalists chronicled the eccentric royal family of Oudh, deposed aristocrats who lived in a ruined palace in the Indian capital. It was a tragic, astonishing story. But was it true?”
|
|
|
azadeh's food of the week
|
|
|
|
I thought I was gluten-intolerant for over a decade, but to my great delight it turns out I am not! In order to make up for lost time, I have been hitting all the bakeries I used to only dream of patronizing. My current favorite is the Danish La Cabra Bakery — an all-star stand-out in terms of service (A+), environment (transporting), baked goods (crispiest, flakiest, most delectable croissants in town), coffee (spot-on cappuccinos in gorgeous ceramics). They have three locations and I have tried them all!
|
|
|
Public Domain photo by Harry Whittier Frees, 1879-1953
I will forever and always be a fresh-cut tulip girl (yellow is my first choice, and a combo of pink and red comes second). Full of drama and emotion, pointing skyward one minute and lounging across the table like one of the women in Matisse’s paintings… you never know what you’ll come home to when you arrange them in a vase.
|
|
|
and a few picks from push...
|
|
|
|
mystical abstraction at the folk art museum! check out this amazing lecture on shaker gift drawings.
|
|
|
if you missed that paradise place at summertime, first of all, i'm so sorry. second of all, you can listen to the music and get a small taste of the incredible performance here.
|
|
|
i'm lucky to call lisa my friend. get your hands on this heartfelt book of recipes from immigrant women who are master home cooks. today november 14th, archestratus is hosting an event celebrating league of kitchens with a group of esteemed grandma instructors.
|
|
|
supporting craft heritage
|
|
|
this NGO, Heritage Crafts, is a national charity for traditional heritage crafts and preserving the art of crafting.
|
|
|
i am a sucker for rituals:
loved this prompt from Moon Lists
HELLO DARKNESS MY OLD FRIEND
Make a strategy (or just claim a single new daily ritual to attempt) that will make 4:30pm sunsets a degree less miserable.
|
|
we hope you are loving the transitional weather and that you enjoyed another installment of push picks. as always, if you like what you read, forward it to someone or encourage them to sign up. it would mean the world to us 🌎
|
|
|
|
|
|
