Writers are Kin to Each Other
The annual “Remembering Some People” ceremony, dedicated to commemorating authors who passed away last year, was held at the Association of Children’s and Young Adult Writers. During this ceremony, writers honored the memory of their colleagues Samini Baghcheban, Mansour Yaghooti, Mahshid Moshiri, Hassan Kamshad, Narges Akbardarian, and Maryam Hosseinian.
At the beginning of the ceremony, Seyed Ali Kashefi Khansari introduced the program and its history, stating that there was a discussion within the association’s board of directors to postpone the session due to severe air pollution. However, it was argued that cultural programs, like medical and health centers, are considered essential and vital needs, impacting public morale and strengthening the hearts of cultural figures. He believed that the warm reception from attendees demonstrated that this perspective was not misguided.
The first speaker was Shahram Iqbalzadeh, who spoke about his friend and fellow townsman, Mansour Yaghooti. After reciting a poem in Kurdish, he emphasized Yaghooti’s patriotism, advocacy for justice, and the literary and research values of his works.
Mahnoosh Moshiri, a veteran member of the association, spoke about her sister, Dr. Mahshid Moshiri. After reviewing her works for adults and young adults, she delivered a narrative and emotional text that moved some of the attendees.
Following this, Dr. Alireza Rahimi, CEO of Soroush Publications, presented Mahnoosh Moshiri with a plaque and praised the valuable and long-standing collaborations of Mahnoosh Moshiri and Mahshid Moshiri with the institution.
Sofia Mahmoud, a translator, spoke about her old friend and university peer, Narges Akbardarian, describing her valuable career in translating works for children and about children, despite her short period of activity.
She thanked the organizers for holding the program and likened children’s and young adult writers, despite their distances, to relatives and members of a single lineage.
Mahshid Dolat, from the “Books for the Deaf” group of the Children’s Book Council, remembered the distinguished services and works and turning points in the life of Samini Baghcheban. Kian Javadi, a journalist and veteran colleague of the Institute for the Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults, spoke about the innovation, creativity, and contemporaneity in Maryam Hosseinian’s activities and writings for children and young adults.
Aliasghar Seyedabadi was the last speaker of the program, listing “Sophie’s World” and “The History of Philosophy” as Hassan Kamshad’s books for young adults. He considered “Hadith-e Nafs” (Self-Narration) to be his most practical book, an autobiography written in an engaging and fair tone, demonstrating that one can and should remain hopeful even in the toughest social conditions and dead ends.
Finally, Kazem Akhavan, a veteran writer, expressed hope that the commemoration of great writers would not be limited to this annual program and that the association would hold sessions to review their works and ideas.
A number of other writers, including Fereydoon Amoozadeh Khalili, Manijeh Pedrami, Manaf Yahyapour, Ansieh Mousavian, Fatemeh Rezaei, Yashar Hedaei, Ramin Ardalan, Hamed Salahi, Masoumeh Khadamehvand, and Mohsen Bagheri Asl, were present at this program.
