From Rumi to The Simpsons, Kaveh Akbar Contains Multitudes @ChicagoHumanitiesFestival
From Rumi to The Simpsons, Kaveh Akbar Contains Multitudes  @ChicagoHumanitiesFestival
Uploaded October 2024 | Updated September 2026, 3 days ago
Iranian-American author Kaveh Akbar joins us in the Chicago Humanities Tapes studio for an exclusive conversation about his debut novel Martyr!, which was recently shortlisted for the 2024 National Book Award. He chats with podcast host Alisa Rosenthal about his poetry background as a novelist, the multitudes we hold during times of tragedy, his love of Chicago, and ‘90s nostalgia. Plus, a brief preview of his live 10/26 Chicago Humanities event with fellow Midwestern author John Green.


Snag tickets to 10/26 Kaveh Akbar: Seeking Meaning in Faith, Art, and Others with John Green at Northwestern University here (chicagohumanities.org/events/attend/kaveh-akbar/) .


 


SHOW NOTES:


Read the podcast transcript (chicagohumanities.org/media/podcast-akbar/) .


CW: Mention of suicide


If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available.


Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org (988lifeline.org/) .


 


PHOTO: Alisa Rosenthal and Kaveh Akbar chat over Zoom. (assets.chicagohumanities.org/uploads/images/Akbar_Rosenthal_Site2.width-800.png)


READ: Kaveh Akbar, Martyr!: A Novel (womenandchildrenfirst.com/book/9780593537619)


 


Edited and mixed by Alisa Rosenthal


Podcast story editing by Alexandra Quinn


Copy assistance from Katherine Kermgard


Additional assistance from Mark Bazer and David Vish


 


Subscribe: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/chicago-humanities-tapes/id1534976656


Donate now to support programs like this: chicagohumanities.org/donate


Explore upcoming events: chicagohumanities.org


 


Instagram (instagram.com/chihumanities/) • TikTok (tiktok.com/@chicagohumanities) • Twitter (twitter.com/chihumanities) • Facebook (facebook.com/chicagohumanities/) • LinkedIn (linkedin.com/company/chicago-humanities-festival)


 


SCWPJ3ZVKBFRO4H0
From Rumi to The Simpsons, Kaveh Akbar Contains MultitudesChris Hayes on the Attention Economy - Mar 17, 2025 | Athenaeum Center for Thought & CultureJessica Lange Captures Truth in PhotosR.F. Kuang in Conversation - April 11, 2026 | First United Methodist Church at the Chicago TempleMini Tapes: Guidance from the AfterlifeChicago Humanities Tapes Season 1 TrailerChef José Andrés and Mark BittmanBefore the Civil Rights Movement with Dylan C. PenningrothEd Begley Jr. Steps into the Energy Efficient SpotlightIllinois Poet Laureate Angela Jackson: A CelebrationMoral outrage and social media from New York Times investigative reporter and author Max FisherRevisiting the Wall of Respect and the Black Arts Movement
Chicago Humanities |

From Rumi to The Simpsons, Kaveh Akbar Contains Multitudes

SHARE TO X SHARE TO REDDIT SHARE TO FACEBOOK WALLPAPER