The Persian Square by Iran Davar Ardalan

Posted on March 4, 2013 by Julie Goucher


Introduction

 The moment I saw this book I was intrigued. As regular readers of my blog will note, I have a distant ancestor who died in the Gulf of Persia in 1812 and therefore whilst not a direct link with that time, I was curious and wanted to read  more on the region.

This book did not disappoint. Firstly, it is not a e-book in a regular sense. This is a interactive book which embraces, as all books do, a conversation between the reader and author, this takes that conversation to another level and allows those of us with an iPad to truly experience that reading and conversation on another level entirely.

Furthermore, the book is incomplete. I do not mean that the author simply had enough half way through, but instead Iran has developed the book to enable others to be inspired to share their Iranian heritage. With submissions made via the website and the book revised and updated.

About the Author (details from the press release)

Davar Ardalan is a Senior Producer at NPR News, responsible for the daily live broadcast of NPR’s Tell Me More with Michel Martin. From the opinions of global newsmakers to listeners, the wisdom of renowned thinkers to activists and spiritual leaders, Tell Me More brings fresh voices and perspectives to public radio. In October 2012, Ardalan was part of the NPR team that produced a live Twitter Education Forum, engaging a diverse community via social media tools on the topic of education reform.

Prior to TMM at NPR, Ardalan was in charge of Weekend Edition were she helped integrate social media tools and expanded audience interactivity. In 2009, she collaborated with the Association for Independents in Radio (AIR) on cutting edge interactive media projects that captured stories and images from around the country and encouraged audience participation across platforms.

Ardalan has also worked as a Supervising Producer for NPR’s Morning Edition where she helped shape the daily newsmagazine, and was responsible for decisions that required elaborate coordination such as broadcasts from Baghdad, Kabul, and New Orleans. She is the author of My Name Is Iran. 

Links

Official Website – http://www.thepersiansquare.org/

Twitter – https://twitter.com/persiansquare

Information Video – http://vimeo.com/60423991

Review

The book is available to download from the iTunes store. The download took a little while to download and once it had and I started reading I could see why. The book contains:

  • 30 media files. 
  • Hyperlinks to guide you through the book
  • Images, sound recordings and interviews
  • Notes enabling the reader to learn more about a fact
  • A full bibliography at the website http://www.thepersiansquare.org/
  • Favourites
  • Twitter enabled – Tap on any of the text and add the twitter #PersianSquare
  • Video
Within the interactive functionality of your iPad you can explore the history and depth of Iran with the individual who is believed to be the first Iranian to visit America and become Naturalised in 1875. You can read about a publication written in 1898 with the aim of educating Americans on Persian women, Educational influences, sporting events. You can listen to music clips from the early 1910’s. Touch the screen to explore the hidden photographs of Philadelphia’s Persian Pavilion.

The author has shared a great deal of her own family history as an illustrative point, with her Grandmother falling in love with Persia following marrying an Iranian Doctor. Together they lived in Iran and established a hospital there.

In 1935 the Persian Monarch changed the name of Persia to Iran. This was a turning point of the Countries heritage. Americans in the region were encouraged to return back the America in the years leading up to the Second World War. In the late 1970’s the political instability in the region meant that there was mass migration from Iran to American. Incidently many also fled to England, as very good friend of mine did with her family.

There is a rather interesting chapter on Iranian author’s and in particular female authors and various book suggestions. This is further followed by chapters and information about those of Iranian descent as they made their mark in the Western world in an assortment of fields, journalism, medical and business.

Overall, I enjoyed loved this book. It was so much more than turning the pages, literal or otherwise. It was a completely interactive experience and one that clearly shows the love the author has for both her heritage land and her profession. This was a rather unique way of bringing the two together and to share the stories contained within the book.

In much the same way as the book, my reading of it is also incomplete as I shall periodically continue to read about the region.

The Persian Square is published on 4th March 2013 and is available from the iBooks Store.

Disclaimer –  I was provided with a copy of this book by the author in exchange for an honest review.

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A Small Social Media Geneameme

Posted on March 3, 2013 by Julie Goucher

I missed the recent Unlock the Past cruise. I did quite fancy a revisit to Fiji, but alas it was not too be.

Jill over at Geniaus floated the idea of this small meme in regard to Social Media, so I thought that I would play along.

1. Tell us about your favourite social media tool and why you like it.

I love all aspects of social media. I love that it shrinks the world to the size of a matchbox! I like Twitter, it is an information snapshot in 140 characters! Information in the blink of an eye, what a fantastic concept. I like Facebook as it bridges the miles between family and friends across all parts of the globe. It enables me to share the incidentals of their lives and vice versa. Facebook does enable the “Like” facility which means that I can keep a track of sites without adding them as a friend. I am beginning to like Google+ and still need to explore and really embrace this further.

2. How do you use social media to further your genealogy career or business?

I recently set up a Facebook page to co-exist with my blog, currently it simply shows a link to the various blog posts, but will grow as I develop my research business further.  I utilise Twitter to share my blog posts and raise my profile as others routinely favourite and re tweet my posts.

3. What advice would you give the cruiser who said “I must be living
under a rock” and is not sure about coming out from under it? (This came from my Social Media presentation)

Get out there and explore! The world of Geneabloggers and GeneaTwitters is a friendly and welcoming one. Explore and embark on a social media journey of discovery.  Follow other bloggers and Tweeters and see how they do it – there is no right or wrong way! Explore, explore, explore the internet has so many wonderful sites to assist your research, please do not miss out!

4. What aspect of Social Media makes you grit your teeth?

I am non too keen on what I see as the Facebook high jacking of accounts – adjusting settings without my consent and changing the terms frequently.

5. How does social media assist with your CGD (continuing genealogical development)?

Social media enables information to come to me quite easily. I often favourite items on Twitter or in my reader so that I can revisit the items as time allows.

6. How do you fit social media time into your busy day?

The world of smart phones enables social media to be assessable all of the time – 24/7. So when I was off to the day job I by law should have a 30 minute break, the reality was often different, but found that I could have a quick Twitter or Facebook fix whilst waiting for the kettle to boil.

7. Do you have a story of how social media enabled you to connect with a long lost relation or fellow researcher?

Quite recently I wrote about a family that links to one of my Puttenham families and married into the Jackson family. As a result of that post, someone left a comment as they descended more closely that I to that very family. I replied to the comment, but sadly that have not revisited and left further comments or provided an email address or profile.

8. You have a minute to share a piece of advice about genealogy and social media. Go for it.

Social media is a tool. A great tool, which will enrich your research. That said, you can not beat the feel and experience of a records office, seeing those documents and knowing that they have survived several hundred years, and hopefully your ancestry is within those wonderful pages. Embrace social media and the people you meet along the way. It is a wonderful experience and you and your research will be the better for it.

So, as Jill says, are you up for the challenge?

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Fearless Females – Words of Wisdom

Posted on March 2, 2013 by Julie Goucher

National Women's History Month - Archives.com

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Fearless Females – Day 1

Posted on March 1, 2013 by Julie Goucher

Once again, in honour of National Women’s History Month, Lisa Alzo of The Accidental Genealogist blog presents Fearless Females: 31 Blogging Prompts to Celebrate Women’s History Month. You can read the prompts HERE.

I had not planned to take part this year. I am still exhausted from February and if I am honest I am still writing and reading from that, but the question for today is

 “Do you have a favourite female ancestor? One you are drawn to or want to learn more about? Write down some key facts you have already learned or what you would like to learn and outline your goals and potential sources you plan to check.”

Drawing by Esther Bellasis nee King left
in Australia in 1803.
Original located at the Mitchell Library

One of my favourite ancestors has got to be Esther King. I have written about Esther before and won’t bore you with more details about her (you can use the search facility!), but Esther has been inspirational.

What started out as a name with a date on my family tree has become so much more. The main delight was finding a single piece of artwork left in Australia in 1803.

  • Was that the only piece of work she did? 
  • Has anymore survived, in Australia, India or the UK?
  • Where did she find her inner strength to deal with the issues she faced?
When I looked again at the life of Esther I wanted to write about her, I then looked to her sisters and realised as I researched that they are such an amazing family of women – 10 siblings of which 9 are girls. 
How could I possibly leave their stories confined to the past?
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February Challenges in Review

Posted on March 1, 2013 by Julie Goucher
Well, I don’t know about you, but what a February. It has been full on and very genealogical. Full of the photographs from the photo collage and posts from the writing challenge. It would like some feedback on how people think it went. Any suggestions that could make the next one better?…..next one I hear you ask…more of that later.
February Photo Collage Festival
This is my Photo Collage

To see my daily posts click this link – February Photo Collage Festival
To see my photo collage made easy post click HERE
Twitter – #fpcf13
To see who else took part in the festival – click HERE
Thanks to everyone who took part and made it such fun. I am still reading, looking and commenting on photographs, so if I have not stopped by or commented very much I am on my way! 
Family History Writing Challenge


To see my daily posts click this link – Family History Writing Challenge
Twitter – #familyhistorywritingchallenge
Next Challenge

Someone commented that they wish they had known about the photo collage festival, so I hereby I am giving notice!
In November here in the UK we celebrate Remembrance Day on 11th November. I thought that it might be quite nice to have a collage with a military theme. Instead of running the whole month, the challenge would run for 2 weeks from Monday 4th November until Sunday 17th November. 
The purpose is to share whatever military picture you have in your family, not exclusively the First World War. This way we can share earlier and later military folk, whose commitment to their Country and the cause can be, and should be recognised.
If you wish to play along that would be wonderful, please leave a comment and spread the word. I shall create a sign up page nearer the time. 
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Review and Giveaway – The Ficton Writer’s Handbook by Shelly Lowenkopf

Posted on March 1, 2013 by Julie Goucher


The concept of this book is rather interesting and is laid out in dictonary format, and as such would not be read cover to cover, yet this is exactly what I recommend you do.

This is a collection of  literary terms and articles and the e-book version which is the one I had access to is full of links which you can read and follow. This in turns leads you on a literary voyage of discovery.

From the Preface, the author recommends that you

 ” Open the book anywhere, read an article, then follow the trail of links as far as it takes you. … You’ll see the intent and purpose in a dramatic way.”

Through the pages the author shares his vast experiences gathered over his teaching career. He also shares his opinions and the book is littered with other reading options, although they do not all appear in the bibliography. Thankfully I realised in the early stages of reading and jotted the titles down. The bibliography has been reserved for books that the author believes are essential for development of the craft of writing. In fact the author says they are –

“The following titles are not mere recommendations; they are essentials for the professional writer and the avid reader: The sooner and closer they are read, the better.”

 This was a great book to explore and use as a stepping stone to other reading, and it will certainly be a stable in the writers library.

About Shelly Lowenkopf:
Shelly Lowenkopf taught in the University of Southern California’s Master of Professional Writing Program for 34 years, has taught at the annual Santa Barbara Writer’s Conference since 1980, and has been guest lecturer in many schools and conferences. He is currently Visiting Professor at the College of Creative Studies, University of California, Santa Barbara, with classes in noir fiction, the modern short story, genre fiction, and developing a literary voice. Lowenkopf has served as editorial director for literary, general trade, mass market, and scholarly book publishers, seeing over 500 books through the editorial and production process. His own short fiction has appeared widely in the literary press.

You can follow the author on Facebook & Twitter

Disclaimer – I was provided with a copy of this book by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Giveaway – The author has very kindly provided a copy of his book as a giveaway to readers of this blog. 

The Giveaway is INTERNATIONAL – Print is for residents of the US and Canada only. E-Book for International residents in Mobi and ePub formats.

To enter the Giveaway – Please leave a comment on this blog post and then complete the Rafflecopter. The draw is open from 1st March 2013 until Midnight (GMT) on 11th March 2013, afterwhich the winner will be drawn and notified by email. A post will also be added to this thread so please make sure you subscribe. The winner is to requested to make contact with me within 4 days so I can make arrangements for the book to be sent.

a Rafflecopter giveaway
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February Collage Photo Festival – Day 28

Posted on February 28, 2013 by Julie Goucher

Well, we have made it to the last day of the photo festival, and the final photograph is of my Great Grandmother, my Grandfather’s mother who you met on day 6.

I remember this photograph being taken, I was about 3 years old. This photo was taken for the occasion of her birthday in October.

The location of the photograph was the  home of my Great Aunt Rose who you met on days 13 and 17 and her address in Foxborough Avenue at Guildford. Granny, as we all called her lived with Aunt and her husband, my Uncle Ern.

Every other week my Grandparents would take me to see Granny. I was either carried up the stairs or allowed to navigate them myself and then once at the top was allowed to go and sit with Granny on the bed. I am sure I tired her out and I remember her letting me cuddle in and we would snooze together.

She was an amazing lady, born in Puttenham in 1878 and it was seeing her name on the 1881 Census and making that connection from a written official document to my cuddly Great Granny that made want to understand my maternal history. Granny died in 1973 aged 92 years old, having been a widow for 30 years.

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February Collage Photo Festival – Day 27

Posted on February 27, 2013 by Julie Goucher

This is another photograph from around 1950. This part of a series of about 30 photographs we have all taken at   Southend Essex whilst my Grandparents visited my Grandfathers sister and her husband, my Uncle. We met Aunt and Uncle on day 18.

Mum thinks that this was the year before she contracted Polio, which I talked about yesterday.

From looking at the photographs it looks like my Grandparents went to Essex at least twice a year.

I like the way my Grandfather still has his jacket on yet has his trousers rolled up. A true fashion statement!

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February Collage Photo Festival – Day 26

Posted on February 26, 2013 by Julie Goucher

We know from other photographs that this was taken at Brighton on the English South coast. In this picture is my Grandfather George Butcher and my Mum who was about 7 in this photo. My Grandmother was taking the photograph. I recognise the black bag from other photos.

If you look closely at my Mum’s left leg you will see that it is noticeably thinner than the one of the right, a legacy of her contracting Polio in 1952.

Mum tells me that she remembers being unwell and the doctor paying a house call. He did not know what the problem was and suggested that my Grandparents continue with their holiday plans, a pre-arranged visit to Southend to stay with my Grandfather’s sister and brother in law who appeared on day 18.

The day she went to get out of bed and collapsed. My Grandparents called for an ambulance and Mum was admitted to hospital, initially to The Royal Surrey Hospital in Farnham Road Guildford before being transferred to the Isolation hospital at Pyrford. Mum remained at Pyrford for around 8 months, during that time she could only see her parents through the glass. Stories, cuddles and hugs were not possible. Eventually the diagnosis of Polio was given and from the age of 5 until Mum was 17 she visited the hospital and had regular check ups.

She and the medics had no idea that in around 40 years, she and a whole generation of Polio survivors would be diagnosed with Post Polio Syndrome and subsequently have another battle to fight. Mum was a lucky one. She remained free from callipers, sticks and wheelchairs all her life and only in the last 2 years has finally given into needing a stick and very strong pain killers. You can read other posts I have written about Polio HERE

I love the friendly, fun and family feel of this photo. My Grandfather wearing her sunglasses and clearly happy to have his little girl back!

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Dona Nicanora’s Hat Shop by Kirstan Hawkins

Posted on February 25, 2013 by Julie Goucher

Dona Nicanora's Hat Shop by Kirstan…
Each year the members of my bookgroup select two titles each. This month’s selection was mine and selected in the same way that I select horses in the Grand National – because they have a nice name!

The story is set in a small sleepy town in South America. The inhabitants are happy with their lot and the central character, Dona Nicanoras has always had a dream to open a hat shop. She is widowed and yet only in her early forties and she has known more grief as she as buried several children. Times are tough.

The sleepy village has very few visitors, that is until Dona’s eldest son returns from another failed trip of making his fortune, he is his father’s son! He brings with him someone he has met and this is the catalyst for change.

From this moment on Dona considers with the money she has from taking the traveler in as a lodger that she could open her hat shop after all, yet, the mayor has other ideas and wishes to wake up the sleepy town and bring in more visitors, of course the consequences are that town does not get rich, only the people that have the money in the first place.

I loved the characters and felt that they were portrayed as being vibrant. There were some great one liners from Gloria and Ramon.

On one level the story shows the potential exploitation of places and people and that sometimes greed can consume all logical thought and overshadow all the great things. In doing so it strips away the very sole of something to the point of ruin.

Ultimately, this was essentially a love story. A story of loves, those endured, lost and endured. The story of dreams, even if they come at a price.

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