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dariamalek · 2 years

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Mahsa Amini: How A 43 Year Long Battle Has Finally Made It Into The Light

I am done with being silent.

I am done with tolerating the silence of others.

My name is Daria Malek, and I am an Iranian-Canadian writer who’s art was silenced due to the control of the Iranian regime. Ironically, The Green Ney was a story of how women were silenced during the Iranian revolution, especially their art.

Yesterday, on Saturday October 1st, over fifty thousand people had closed off Yonge Street, the longest street in the world, protesting for Mahsa Amini, and the other 83 people murdered for speaking up for their human rights.

I am so privileged to live in a country where I, not only as a woman, but also a visibly minority, have protection beyond my rights. And as I watch my fellow Iranians in their homeland fight for theirs, it makes me wonder what am I do to with this privilege? What am I to do with the freedom of speech that I have?

I was silenced by the Iranian regime, but that is no longer.

Four years ago, I began writing a novel called The Green Ney, the story of an infertile American journalist in a dying marriage, who travels to Iran in January 1979 and gets stuck in the middle of the bloodshed of the Iranian Revolution with a lonely, mute orphan to care for.

Through her journey, she met multiple women who symbolized each right that was stripped from them during the revolution. Each of these 12 women were women that I had met on my trip to Iran in 2016, spanning over the three cities that I have visited. These are real women. These are real people.

This was my time to speak for these women who were silenced in their own dirt but, I had to face a dilemma: if I were to publish this novel, I would be banned from going back home to my country, and even put my family, including my grandparents, in harms way.

This was three years ago. Enough is enough. It is time to speak up.

Mahsa Amini was 22 years old when she was detained by “morality police” in Iran for not wearing her headscarf on her head correctly. Not because she had killed someone, assaulted someone, or stolen something from someone but, because she had not covered her hair to the standard of the “morality police.” How ironic that they are called “morality police” when they have no problem murdering a child because they are so weak to be worried about the hair of a women turning men on. Where are your morals?

Why are you painting our men to be so weak? So weak, that the wrists and ankles of a woman may awaken their uncontrollable sexual urges?

Our men are better than this. Our women are more respectable than this.

The greatest part of watching these protests was seeing the men and women come together in unison to fight for the women of Iran together.

For Mahsa Amini, you will always be remembered as an awakening for the people and a motion for change. We will honour your name and what you did to change the world.

Shervin Hajipour, your angelic voice and talent will be forever in our ears, singing for what you believe in, in hopes that people will listen and feel your pain and we did.

Hadis Najafi, your courage will never be forgotten. To be so brave, beyond your years, only for them to strip you of the rest of your life. But, I hope you know that they may have taken your life but they could never take away the strength and bravery that you possessed. When I watch the video of your blonde hair going up in a ponytail, ready to fight for the land you walk on, it gives me chills - an inspiration to truly step up.

For all the other people who were protesting or injured and murdered for speaking up: you make me proud to call myself an Iranian. We as people have a history of being headstrong and courageous. We must protect our beautiful culture, our art, our poetry, our food, our dance and everything that makes us Iranian, from the Islamic regime. They stole it from us once and it is our duty to take it back.

What started off as a feministic fight, turned into a humanitarian revolution.

If you have any Iranian friends, please reach out to them. Ask them how they are doing. Give them a hug and stand by them. They’re worried about their families back home; they can’t talk to them or hold them. Give back the support that we gave the rest of the world when they needed us.

And please, help us be the voice of the people who don’t have one.

#iranian revolution #iran #iranian protests #canadian writer #essayist #mahsa amini

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qosmiq · 21 days

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#robertson davies #writer #rebel angels #ghislain barbe #canadian #canadian writer #beard #portrait

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maninmauve · 2 months

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Inspiration: Character Flaws

One of my favourite things about character creation would be flaws and quirks. There are many that can picked, twisted, and combined. Some are more popular than others, especially among newer writers or even young roleplay and writing enthusiasts. Heterochromia, face scars, unusual hair and eye colours are some of the physical quirks that I noticed in my roleplaying days. While erring to not give…

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evadneares · 9 months

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Mary MacLane, "I Await the Devils"

#writing #writers and poets #writerscommunity #writers on tumblr #creative writing #literature #writers #writer things #quotes #women writers #mary maclane #i await the devils #canadian literature #canadian writer #books and libraries #books and literature #the wild woman of butte #confessional writing #autobiographical

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canadachronicles · 1 year

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I’m so proud of her!!!

#and so happy for her too #she is such a brilliant human #Vivek Shraya #I met her twice #once at a streetcar stop after the screening of one of her short films at the Regent Park Film Festival and we got to chat a bit #and another time at a Tegan and Sara concert and I'd just read I'm Afraid of Men and was very flustered!#Canadian Singer #Canadian Musician #Canadian Artist #Canadian Songwriter #Canadian Writer #Canadian Genius #Sort Of #Canadian Screen Awards #Canadian Screen Awards 2023 #Candys #Candys 2023 #Canadian Instagram #Canada Chronicles

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sandramiksaauthor · 8 months

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all the books I read in august | I finally read ED books and feel seen 🥺

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morbidloren · 1 year

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Death's Garden contributor Mary Rajotte

Interview with Death's Garden contributor Mary Rajotte

Although we’ve never met in person, I was introduced to Mary Rajotte through the Horror Writers Association several years ago. I really love her ability to spin a story. When I asked her to contribute an essay to Death’s Garden Revisited, I wasn’t sure what I would get. “Ebb and Flow: Finding My Way Back to Family,” the essay Mary sent, is a touching meditation on the way that cemeteries can…

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#Canadian writer #DeathsGardenRevisited #Horror Writers Association #women in horror #zine

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kwojciechowicz · 1 year

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This is the book 📚 project that I’m working on currently, called Mara and the Bad Wolf by #KKampeasRittenhouse. I’m illustrating the book 📕 and I was allowed to share some of the #illustrations online 😊 It’s good to be working as an illustrator once more.

#kamaarts #kamilawojciechowicz #kamila wojciechowicz-krauze #illustration #polish artist #illustrator #ilustracja #childrens' book illustration #book illustrator #polish illustrator #Mara and the Bad Wolf #wolf #fox #animals #modern times #K Kampeas-Rittenhouse #Canadian writer #lgbtq literature

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elliebear75 · 1 year

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One year ago, on New Year's Eve, I made myself a new year's resolution to focus what little time I had between work and family, on my writing. One year later, I've accomplished so much more than I could have ever dreamed.

My work appeared in two issues of Blank Spaces Magazine, the Edmonton Public Library's 2022 Anthology collection, and on a can of Blindman Brewing Coffee Stout. I did two public readings, one for EPL and one for the Edmonton Poetry Festival. My work was on CBC Radioactive and CKUA.

I took two writing workshops; one with the amazing Norma Dunning and a weekend with the incredible Rayanne Haines. The things I learned from them made me a better writer and human in general.

I also completed the first draft of a poetry collection in October, which I hope to edit in the upcoming year.

And none of it would have been possible without the love and support of my family and friends. My husband, who when I said I couldn't, always told me I could. My children, who inpire me. My writing confidants, who give me their honesty and editing notes. My co-workers, who shared my excitement every time I got good writing news.

One year. 365 days. Here's to doing it all again. But even bigger.

#writing #poetry #short stories #writing community #canadian writer #alberta writer #personal

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johnsturtz · 1 month

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Open-shade (STOP)/

Reflective-seed the depths (a gloss-watery image 'attract').

(Niagara Parkway)

#niagara falls #niagara parkway #burning springs #johnsturtz #niagara gorge #poetry #poem #canadian writer

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gildedbearediting · 1 month

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A Look At: Deer Heart

Deer Heart was written in third person past tense. It was written by Bonnie Burnard. The main character is the mother. Her daughter, the queen, deer, and bar people serve as supporting characters. Jargon: half-ton, pluggers, wheatland, embossed, emblazoned. A Half-Ton is a truck that weighs 1,000lbs or more. A pick-up truck would be an example of this kind of truck. Pluggers in this context…

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dariamalek · 1 year

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The Art of Balance: Narcissism vs. Self Esteem

I don’t know everything.

I’ve dabbled in eight types of psychology in the lifespan of this blog; trying to find the answers to all the questions. How do we effectively teach students with special needs? How does childhood neglect effect long term relationships? What is the correlation between physical and mental wellness?

If you have been an avid reader of this blog for a while, those titles may be very familiar. There was a peak in 2019, however, where people were extremely interested in my essays about relationship psychology. My theory was that it was during the peak of COVID, and with the rise of dating apps, people were starting to forget what it was like to be in the conscious world.

I had no problem writing about relationship psychology until June 2021, where my own relationship of almost 3 years, collapsed. I began to doubt myself; how am I going to sit here and give advice to everyone else when I didn’t know how to save my own relationship?

And that’s when the spiral began.

I began to doubt myself. I was tired; I had put so much time and effort into my relationship that I forgot who I was. I had lost touch with all my friends; all the people who brought out the best in me and shared my passions. And roughly eight months into being single, I sang a note. Ten months into being single, I had pulled up my old texts and put pen to paper. A year into being single, I took my aggression out on a drum kit.

I began to fall in love with myself again. Deep and dangerously in love with myself.

My self confidence was at a peak. I dyed my hair black. I changed up my style. I wore high heels everywhere. I didn’t leave the house without doing my hair. I wore eyeliner. I never looked at my feet when I walked. I disregarded the men who approached me. And when I walked into a room, instead of looking at everyone else in it, my eye caught a mirror instead.

And that’s when it hit me. I was frozen in place; standing in the middle of a bar on Queen Street. This is wrong. I had forgotten what it was like to give love to someone else because I was too busy focusing on loving myself.

Just like that, I was introduced me to the biggest lesson I could learn in my life: balance.

I had always thought I had balance in my life. I meditated twice a day, I exercised five days a week. I didn’t drink every weekend, but had my glass of wine once in a while. I didn’t eat fast food. i worked extremely hard during the week and had my fun on the weekends. I spent equal time with my family and friends.

But that was the problem: it was all about me.

We all go through healing phases where we focus on ourselves, however it’s important that we don’t lose sight of what it means to be considerate of others.

I found, date after date, that I just wasn’t able to focus on anyone other than myself because I had been so focused on myself it had turned into a habit. I didn’t know how to do anything else. It was almost as if I was jealous of others getting attention from myself. Sounds crazy, doesn’t it?

You’d be surprised.

Have you ever heard that myth about the man who fell so in love with his reflection, that he literally couldn’t take his eyes of it, and eventually died in the same spot all while staring at his reflection? This is a lovely phenomenon called Narcissism. And yes, his name was “Narcissus.”

According to Scott Kaufman of the Scientific American, most recent research suggests that “narcissism differs significantly from self-esteem in its development, origins, consequences, and outcomes (Kaufman, 2017).”

“The prototypical grandiose narcissist is characterized by arrogance, superiority, vanity, entitlement, exploitativeness, exhibitionism, and the incessant need for acclaim from others,” Kaufman explains. “Those scoring high on measures of self-esteem, however, tend to feel satisfied with themselves but do not necessarily see themselves as superior to others.“

I remember doing all those things, claiming they were for me, but not once did I feel satisfied.

And that’s when I said screw it, and bought a last minute plane ticket, and went to Italy. The story of my trip is highly documented on this blog however, when I got back, it was the first time I had began to type out words that meant something to me.

I had realized that when I was writing before, I was forcing myself. I didn’t actually want to write, I just wrote because I had missed doing it. I finally felt like the roadblock between me and my art was finally gone. But the truth was, that roadblock was me. And when I sat back and read through each paragraph, I felt butterflies in my stomach. Not pride, but satisfaction. I was back.

And there are times, like today, where I question my ability to love again. For example, when I get writer’s block, I question my love for writing, even though writing is something that comes natural to me.

But I always remember: just because something comes natural, doesn’t mean it should be constant.

You may love someone from the bottom of your heart, but there will be times where they hurt your feelings and you’re not able to look at them. But that doesn’t mean you don’t love them, it just means that you need to find a reason to fall back in love with something.

The same goes for yourself.

#psychology #motivation #self love #motivational quotes #self esteem #mental health #mental wellness #brain food #writer #canadian writer

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haoyando · 4 months

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My Favorite Book 2023 (Continued)

Yesterday, I started to leaf through the pages again. I had reread many books before, some more than two or three times, some once every year. However I had never reread a book as soon as I finished it. This book was the first. I reread the first twenty pages and tried to savor what I had missed the first time around. Then I reread the last twenty to thirty pages, during which I felt that I had…

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#book lover #Canadian Writer #Dionne Brand

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maninmauve · 3 hours

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Where do I see myself during a zombie apocalypse?

I’d like to say that I’d be prepared for a zombie apocalypse, but I always feel over or under prepared for everything. I’ve gone through possibilities in my head a variety of times.The possibility that I’d be stuck outside while at work. Which often results in me thinking about how I could hunker down in certain areas of wherever I’m working, then set out to loot once it quiets down. How I might…

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#Canadian Writer #Fiction #LGBT Writer #ManinMauve #Niall #Niall Espen #Writer #Writing #writing community

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lilianeruyters · 8 months

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Sarah Bernstein || Study for Obedience

Booker Prize Longlist 2023 Well, this was hard work. Study of Obedience is definitely not a novel to be browsed through. It demands attention, right from the start. I must admit that I missed an important clue right on page four; ‘put into pits’ should have alerted me to the main character being Jewish. I missed that reference, it did become very clear pretty soon however the main character…

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#reading is fun #Booker Prize #Booker Prize 2023 longlist #Canadian writer #Granta #Great Novel #Great reading #literature #Sarah Bernstein #Study for Obedience

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canadachronicles · 11 months

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"From vales of dawn hath Day pursued the Night Who mocking fled, swift-sandalled, to the west, Nor ever lingered in her wayward flight With dusk-eyed glance to recompense his quest, But over crocus hills and meadows gray Sped fleetly on her way. Now when the Day, shorn of his failing strength, Hath fallen spent before the sunset bars, The fair, wild Night, with pity touched at length, Crowned with her chaplet of out-blossoming stars, Creeps back repentantly upon her way To kiss the dying Day."

--Twilight, Lucy Maud Montgomery.

I love twilight, and I'm particularly fond of the sepia hues that brushes the sky just after a storm, at this hour before dark.

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