First-generation Iranian American educator and author Ryan Bani Tahmaseb honors his father, an immigrant from Iran, and his ancestry in his forthcoming middle grade collection Persian Mythology: Epic Stories of Gods, Heroes, and Monsters, illustrated by Reza Dalvand. His growing list of published titles also includes his debut picture book Rostam’s Picture-Day Pusteen, illustrated by Fateme Mokhles, and his nonfiction book The 21st Century School Library. PW spoke with Tahmaseb about how he dove headfirst into weaving stories of gods and goddesses, heroes and heroines, villains and monsters, and what his hopes are for all of his readers, especially for fellow Iranian Americans.
Rostam’s Picture-Day Pusteen was inspired by your father’s immigrant experience. And now you’ve taken on the task of weaving stories of Persian mythology. How did this anthology come to be?
I always loved reading Greek and Roman myths as a kid. Then at the end of my tenure as a school librarian and after writing my first picture book, I wanted to give my protagonist a Persian name since he was based on my father who immigrated from Tehran, Iran, to America. Through my research, I came across “Rostam” who is the Persian Hercules, a name that’s associated with bravery. It was a perfect fit! This led me to Persian myths, legends, and folk tales. The more I read, the more I said to myself, “These are really good!” And then, when I put on my librarian cap, I said, “There should be a Persian mythology book for middle grade readers.” I know that this age group loves Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson books based on modern retellings of ancient Greek myths. The author in me said, “Okay, I’m going to give this a shot.” But, because I hadn’t written middle grade before, it took me a while to figure out how I wanted to tell them, what voice to use, and which myths to include.
I knew that I wanted to start with the creation of the world and the end of the world. With this in mind, I decided to go chronologically and include stories of the gods and goddess, and transition to life on Earth, and to humans, heroes, and villains.
Did you imagine a particular reader for this book?
I didn’t have a specific reader in mind, but I did imagine reading the story aloud to a sixth-grade class, and that really helped with my pacing, word choices, and things of that nature. You’ve got to hook the reader. I hope that the stories transport them to a unique, yet familiar, time and place, that they recognize similar and different elements of this mythology in others [i.e. Greek mythology, etc.], as well as the wisdom in ancient mythology.
Also, being a first-generation Iranian American who didn’t encounter Persian stories growing up, I hope that this book lets Iranian American kids see a little bit of themselves in the stories that have elements of Persian culture that remain today. It’s one of the things that I’m most excited about: for Iranian American kids and teens to find their culture reflected in a book of Persian myths that are thousands of years old in some cases.
Why do you feel it’s important to celebrate and share these stories now?
It is not lost on me that this book is coming out in the same year that the United States bombed three Iran nuclear sites. And there was, as part of that, a 12-day war between Israel and Iran. I hope that kids and teens see the kind of shared humanity—that’s a primary goal of fiction in general, but this is a particular case in a particular year.
These stories have lasted through the ages for a reason. I hope that giving younger people an opportunity to see and to learn about a different part of the world—and the stories that come from that part of the world—will enable them to feel a connection to them. That’s one of the beautiful things about fiction, story, and narrative. That familiarity can lead to empathy. And only good things can come from this.
You transitioned from teaching middle school to working as a school librarian, and now as a private tutor and academic coach. What have been the bright spots and challenges so far?
I offer assistance with homework, executive functioning skills, and social-emotional learning, too. I got into this work because my eight-year-old son who was diagnosed with ADHD is also cognitively gifted, which is called “twice exceptional.” With the advocacy and research that I have done and continue to do for him, my working with exceptional kids has become a speciality of mine.
So far, the bright spot has been connecting with students on a longer-term basis. Rather than just having students for one year, I am seeing students through middle school and now some of them into high school and college. The challenge can be remaining adaptive to what every student needs. Each is different, with their own specific strengths, interests, passions, and ideas.
Persian Mythology: Epic Stories of Gods, Heroes, and Monsters by Ryan Bani Tahmaseb, illus. by Reza Dalvand. Running Press, $19.99 Nov. 4 ISBN 978-0-7624-8976-3
