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Amir and Khalil: Mehdi’s Gone

"Mehdi’s Gone" is part of Zahra’s Paradise, a story set in the aftermath of Iran’s 2009 elections that First Second Books is publishing online in Farsi, Arabic, English, French,… More

Life

Randy had run out of cigarettes again, and it was killing him. Not a goddamn one of them was working anymore; and the mother had died in the spring… More

In Sfax

I no longer know exactly how this strange premonition came about, but I was certain I was going to die on this trip to Tunisia. I’ve often taken the… More

Twitter: One Writer’s Beginnings

Twitter is of great political consequence in Iran and Gaza, but in the U.S. it is about as consequent as Kim Kardashian or Paris Hilton.Narcissists and exhibitionists abound! What… More

A Truly Mad Business

From: Claire MessudTo: Mohammed Naseehu AliSubject: a place to beginDear Mohammed,It’s Claire Messud here, with a wave & a shout. It’s with great pleasure that I’ve been reading a… More

A Kind of Vast Fiction

From: Jonathan LethemTo: David GatesSubject: the old transmissionHey, David. As I was saying to my 2,472 friends the other day, these certainly are strange times in the history of… More

His Mother’s Voice

In high spirits, I waved to the waiter, and called my mother to warn her I'd be late. An urgent case, I lied. The way I sometimes lied, though… More