Author Abdi Nazemian Part 2 ("Only This Beautiful Moment"): "My Books Aren't About The Fact That They've Been Banned. My Books Are About What They're About"

Part 2 of Dennis's conversation with author Abdi Nazemian focuses on his latest book Only This Beautiful Moment, which recently won the Stonewall Award from Young Adult Literature. Abdi talks about drawing inspiration for the multigenerational story from his own family, how he was able to write scenes set in Iran despite having left there when he was a child and the longing he feels for the country and it's people. He also talks about what it feels like to have his two most recent books banned in many schools, how that affects his bottom line and how he learned the hard way not to engage with online trolls. Other topics include: being an Associate Producer on the film Call Me By Your Name, going back to school to get his MBA, the power of telling the truth instead of chasing what you think the market wants, why young people give him hope, the perils of social media and why he chose to set a scene in the men's room of the late great Silver Lake piano bar The Other Side. https://www.abdinazemian.com