This week on The Write Question, host Lauren Korn speaks with cartoonist Navied Mahdavian, author of the graphic memoir, This Country: Searching for Home in (Very) Rural America (Princeton Architectural Press).
Before Navied moved with his wife and dog in November of 2016 from San Francisco to an off-the-grid cabin in rural Idaho, he had never fished, gardened, hiked, hunted, or lived in a snowy place. But there, he could own land, realize his dream of being an artist, and start a family—the Millennial dream. Over the next three years, Navied leaned into the wonders of the natural Idaho landscape and found himself adjusting to and enjoying a slower pace of living. But beyond the boundaries of his six acres, he was confronted with the realities of America's political shifts and forced to confront the question, Do I belong here?
About Navied:
Navied Mahdavian has been a contributing cartoonist at The New Yorker since 2018. His work has also been published in Reader's Digest, Wired, and Alta Online; as well as collected in the books The Rejection Collection and Send Help! Before becoming a cartoonist, he taught the fifth grade, where he learned most of his jokes. Navied was born in Miami and now lives in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Navied Mahdavian recommends:
Illustrator and graphic designer Christoph Niemann
Impossible People: A Completely Average Recovery Story by Julie Wertz (Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers)
Artificial: A Love Story by Amy Kurzweil (Catapult)
Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood and Persepolis 2: The Story of a Return by Marjane Satrapi (Pantheon Books)
Lauren Korn recommends:
This Country: Searching for Home in (Very) Rural America by Navied Mahdavian (Princeton Architectural Press)
Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands by Kate Beaton (Drawn & Quarterly)
Seek You: A Journey Through American Loneliness by Kristen Radtke (Pantheon Books)
Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic by Alison Bechdel (Mariner Books)
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The Write Question team for this episode was Lauren Korn, host, co-producer, and editor; and Chris Moyles, co-producer, editor; and Aidan McMahan, sound engineer. This episode is supported by Chapter One Bookstore in Hamilton, Montana, a literary and community resource for the Bitterroot Valley—providing space to explore, discover, and share passions since 1974. More information can be found at Chapter1Bookstore.com.
The Write Question logo and brand (2022) was designed by Molly Russell. You can see more of her work at iamthemollruss.com and on Instagram @iamthemollruss. Our music was written and recorded by John Floridis.
Funding for The Write Question comes from Humanities Montana; members of Montana Public Radio; and from the Greater Montana Foundation—encouraging communication on issues, trends, and values of importance to Montanans.
The Write Question is a production of Montana Public Radio.
