A Turkish Translation!

I am excited to announce that the Turkish Publisher Yakamoz Yayinlari will be publishing a Turkish translation of Anahita's Woven Riddle in 2011. The deal was made through Anatolia Lit in Istanbul.

Read about a conversation on book translation that I had in a bookstore cafe in Istanbul with Amy Spangler, founder of Anatolia Lit, on the Translation pages of my website:

http://www.meghannuttallsayres.com/Meghan_Nuttall_Sayres/Anahita_Book_Translations.html


For more information about this publisher and agency check out the links below:

http://www.yakamoz.com.tr/kitap/iletisim-bilgileri

http://www.anatolialit.com/

Last week a lovely essay on translation by Michael Cunningham, author of The Hours, was featured on the NY Times online. He says, "Language in fiction is made up of equal parts meaning and music. You could probably say that meaning is the force we employ, and music is the seduction. It is the translator’s job to reproduce the force as well as the music."

To read the whole article visit: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/03/opinion/03cunningham.html

Retro Review

It's a delight for authors to know that books they've published a few years ago are still being read and enjoyed. Here i share a retro review from the blog Reading Extensively about my novel Anahita's Woven Riddle.

"The novel is filled with interesting facts about Persia and the nomadic life, as well as beautiful Sufi poetry. The imagery, from descriptions of elaborate carpets to Anahita’s favorite scarf, shows the love that the author has for textiles. A glossary in the back includes helpful definitions and pronunciations of Persian words and the appendix provides more information about weaving and Persian history. There is a fairy tale quality to the story which I also enjoyed. Anahita’s Woven Riddle will appeal to those interested in other cultures."

Thank you, Christina for the retro review! Check out her other reviews at: http://reading-extensively.blogspot.com

Ten Ten Ten Climate Party

About a week ago, 350.org, an organization working on solutions for our climate crisis
called for a World Climate Party. On their website they wrote:

Dear World,

It’s been a tough year: in North America, oil gushing into the Gulf of Mexico; in Asia some of the highest temperatures ever recorded; in the Arctic, the fastest melting of sea ice ever seen; in Latin America, record rainfalls washing away whole mountainsides.

So we’re having a party.

Circle 10/10/10 on your calendar. That’s the date. The place is wherever you live. And the point is to do something that will help deal with global warming in your city or community.

Their party was a grand success. 7,347 people from 188 countries participated, even the President of the Moldives, who erected a solar panel on the roof of his home.

For more details check out: http://www.350.org/en/invitation

On 10/10/10 I happened to be in Utah, enjoying the desert. I had a private party of one on a boulder alongside a canyon stream. I hiked to this pristine spot and honored the day by reading. No carbon expended on the trail, no juice required to turn the pages of my traditional book. In that quiet moment I reflected on how much resources I normally use in a day between driving to and fro on errands and working on my computer.

Check out the previous post for praise of this book that I read on October 10, No god, But God, by Reza Aslan. How fitting the desert setting was for reading about the inception of Islam in Arabia. Sand, quite literally, swept through the pages as well as Aslan's eloquent prose.

Reza Aslan at the University of Utah

Pictured in the post above is a book by Reza Aslan No god, But God: The Origins, Evolution and Future of Islam. I cannot say enough good things about this work. The book explains the history of Islam in light of current events. It is informative, thorough, and best of all, it reads much like a novel.

Aslan says, "Storytelling is the key to building bridges and fostering mutual understanding. If we can tap into the narratives of other people, it gives us a better window into their religion, their politics, and their social and economic circumstances than any policy briefing could."

I recommend this book for readers who know little or a lot about Islam as Reza is sure to overturn several stones where even the most learned have not tread.

Reza Aslan will be giving a lecture at the University of Utah Middle Eastern Studies Center on Monday, Oct 25th at 7pm in the library auditorium. For more information about this event visit: http://www.mec.utah.edu/?pageId=5627

To read an interview with Reza Aslan on Religion Gone Global visit: http://blogs.ssrc.org/tif/2010/05/27/religion-gone-global/ This is the source of the quote by Reza cited above.

To learn more about Reza Aslan visit his website at: http://www.rezaaslan.com/

Head Scarf Tour Goes to Moab, Utah

On Wednesday evening, Oct 6th, I spent the evening with a lively crowd from Moab, Utah, at the the Grand County Library, discussing Iran. This was the first of a dozen public speaking events that I have planned for the next 12 months as a participant in Authors Building Bridges With Muslim Cultures, a campaign I have launched with other writers.

I encourage teachers and librarians to contact me for speaking engagements. If I plan to be visiting your town, I will gladly speak at your school or library. Myself and other authors with books that celebrate the richness of Middle Eastern cultures and the beauty of Islam have agreed to step up our appearances this school year to help educate Americans about the Muslim cultures in the U.S. and abroad. Some of us authors have agreed to reduce our speaking rates or speak in exchange for the purchase of 12 books. Our aim is to enlist 12 authors, in 12 cities across the country to participate. I will interview each participating author on this blog as they join our tour, and will provide their contact information.

I'd like to thank Adrea Lund at the Grand County library for organizing this event and offering a gorgeous venue to launch the tour. Please help me and the participating authors make this a successful campaign!