This is what comes After Tehran...

The first season of the Eh List Author series here at Cedarbrae just came to a close - and it certainly ended on a high note!

I have to admit: I was a little nervous when I thought about hosting and introducing Marina Nemat (author of Prisoner of Tehran and After Tehran) this past Thursday. After all, this was a woman who'd been on CBC, written for the Globe and Mail, and regularly did talks with huge audiences. This was, of course, on top of the fact that her latest memoir dealt with such a weighty issue: what do you do after you've shared such an intense and difficult part of your history? What happens to the relationships you once had and the ones you make afterwards?

Marina is a fighter, no doubt - and when she came to the stage and asserted that she simply didn't like 'author readings' and would rather just have a discussion with us, I had a feeling we'd be in for a pretty memorable evening.

It was probably very easy to get caught up in the sheer seriousness of her talk. She mentioned coming home, just released from prison, and talking to her family not about what she had gone through in the past two years...but about the weather. Years later, at her mother's funeral, Marina recalled her breaking point: a moment where she simply could not hold back any longer.

She also talked about the things we can do - as Canadians, as readers - to support each other and promote understanding when it comes to things like post-traumatic stress and renewing relationships.

Marina is currently working on translating her work into Farsi, which she's admitted is a huge undertaking. Maybe it's just me, but could a film adaptation be just beyond the horizon...?

If you missed Marina at Cedarbrae last week - there's still hope! She'll be at the Barbara Frum branch tonight at 7:00 PM.