Learn Persian with Chai and Conversation

Latest Episodes:

Speak Lesson 63 | Meeting Up with Friends Jul 06, 2025

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In this lesson, we learn some useful expressions for talking with friends or people we know, especially people who we haven't seen in a long time.

Poetry | Nizami Ganjavi's sokhanee chand dar eshgh, Part 2 Jun 29, 2025

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In this second part of the discussion of Nizami Ganjavi's sokhanee chand dar eshgh, we go over the first two lines of the poem in detail.

Speak Lesson 62 | Getting Attention Jun 29, 2025

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In this lesson, we learn a new way to call attention to someone and how to return a lost item.

Poetry | Nizami Ganjavi's sokhanee chand dar eshgh, Introduction with Dr. Sahba Shayani Jun 23, 2025

Show notes

In this lesson, we introduce Nizami Ganjavi, an important 12th-century poet in the cultures of Iran, Azerbaijan, Kurdistan, Afghanistan, and Tajikistan who is also considered the national poet of Azerbaijan. We are joined by Dr. Sahba Shayani to discuss sokhanee chand dar eshgh, or “A Few Words on Love,” an excerpt from Nizami Ganjavi's Romance of Khosrow and Shirin.

Speak Lesson 61 | Meeting on the Street Jun 22, 2025

Show notes

In this lesson, we learn some phrases that could be useful when talking to people on the street and how to talk briefly about some routine daily activities.

We also introduce Vijay, his mixtape, and his YouTube playlist, which you can find here!

Culture | Attar's Parable of the Moths, Part 4 Jun 09, 2025

Show notes

In this episode of Learn Persian with Chai and Conversation, we conclude The Parable of the Moths by Attar, taken from his masterpiece Conference of the Birds.
I'm joined by the brilliant Omid Arabian of YOUniversal Center, who walks us through the last 4 lines of the poem—exploring its language, imagery, and deeper meaning.
This lesson is perfect for those with some background in Persian who want to experience the richness of mystical poetry and engage with timeless questions of love, longing, and transformation.

📄 Download the accompanying PDF guide: chaiandconversation.com
🎧 Listen to the third episode of our podcast: Spotify link

🔗 Learn more about Omid’s work: YOUniversal Center

Culture | Attar's Parable of the Moths, Part 3 Jun 02, 2025

Show notes

In this episode of Learn Persian with Chai and Conversation, we continue to the third part of The Parable of the Moths by Attar, taken from his masterpiece Conference of the Birds.
I'm joined by the brilliant Omid Arabian of YOUniversal Center, who walks us through the next 4 lines of the poem—exploring its language, imagery, and deeper meaning.
This lesson is perfect for those with some background in Persian who want to experience the richness of mystical poetry and engage with timeless questions of love, longing, and transformation.

📄 Download the accompanying PDF guide: chaiandconversation.com
🎧 Listen to the third episode of our podcast: Spotify link

🔗 Learn more about Omid’s work: YOUniversal Center

Interview | Yassamin Ansari, Congresswoman from Arizona, on Politics, Protest, and Persian Identity Jun 01, 2025

Show notes

In this episode of Growing Up Neem-Rooni, Leyla talks with Representative Yassamin Ansari, the youngest member of Congress and the first Iranian-American Democrat to be elected. From growing up in a mostly white Arizona suburb to representing her diverse district in Washington, D.C., Yassamin shares her story of identity, community, and public service.

We talk about her family's immigration journey, what it was like growing up Persian in Arizona, the political awakenings that shaped her career, and the urgent fights she’s now taking on—climate change, immigration justice, labor rights, and Iranian-American visibility. She also opens up about the personal weight of carrying a diaspora story into the halls of power, and why this moment in American politics requires all of us to show up, speak out, and organize.

🟢 Topics covered include:

Her upbringing in Arizona and the influence of her Iranian family
Why she got into politics, and how the first Trump presidency galvanized her
Her work on Iranian-American Heritage Month and immigration reform
The erosion of climate policy and the importance of mass mobilization
What gives her hope—and why we need to fight harder than ever

Interview | Money, Iranian-American Identity, and Romance: Chelsea Fagan on Building a Business and Writing a Political Love Story May 28, 2025

Show notes

In this episode of Growing Up Irooni, Leyla sits down with Chelsea Fagan—founder of The Financial Diet and author of the new novel High Dive. Known for blending personal finance with cultural critique, Chelsea joins Leyla for a wide-ranging conversation that covers:

Why she wrote a romance novel with a Persian American love interest
Navigating privilege, assimilation, and identity in immigrant communities
Representing Iranian culture through a “cultural reader” and deep research
The challenge of launching a joyful project in a dark political moment
What it means to speak out as a business owner—and how capitalism shapes silence

This is a conversation about complexity: what it means to hold joy and grief at the same time, to create art that is political without being preachy, and to run an ethical business in a deeply unequal world.

📚 High Dive is out May 27th!
👉 Learn more about Chelsea: @faganchelsea on Instagram and @TheFinancialDiet
🎧 Leyla mentions this video by Chelsea: Watch on YouTube

Culture | Attar's Parable of the Moths, Part 2 May 26, 2025

Show notes

In this episode of Learn Persian with Chai and Conversation, we continue to the second part of The Parable of the Moths by Attar, taken from his masterpiece Conference of the Birds.
I'm joined by the brilliant Omid Arabian of YOUniversal Center, who walks us through the next 4 lines of the poem—exploring its language, imagery, and deeper meaning.
This lesson is perfect for those with some background in Persian who want to experience the richness of mystical poetry and engage with timeless questions of love, longing, and transformation.

📄 Download the accompanying PDF guide: chaiandconversation.com

🎧 Listen to the second episode of our podcast: Spotify link

🔗 Learn more about Omid’s work: YOUniversal Center

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