In this episode, Mel speaks to Kaveh Akbar, an Iranian-American poet and scholar, on his new book, Martyr!

The book is a semi-autobigraphical tale, in which the main character Cyrus Shams shares some parallels to Kaveh's own life. It is the story of a newly sober, orphaned son of Iranian immigrants, who is guided by martyrs - in the forms of artists, poets, and kings. Cyrus goes on a remarkable search for a family secret that leads him to a terminally ill painter living out her final days in the Brooklyn Museum. Mel and Kaveh discuss being a martyr, writing a character who acts as a reality check in your own life and what it's like to replace subtance addiction with writing addiction.

Kaveh Akbar has published and recieved awards for his books of poetry, and he is a college writing professor at the University of Iowa.

Literati Glitterati Book Club Launch! - details here: https://www.rrr.org.au/events/literati-glitterati-book-club-launch