Photo by Muqu Javad
Parisa Akhbari is the author of the new young adult novel Just Another Epic Love Poem. Also a mental health therapist, she is from Seattle.
Q: What inspired you to write Just Another Epic Love Poem, and how did you create your character Mitra?
A: When I graduated high school, my best friend was in the grade below me, and we both felt this worry about losing the ease and playfulness of our everyday connection, so I bought a scrapbook for us to trade back and forth as I headed off to college.
We filled it with pictures, journal entries, inside jokes and big secrets, and it ended up being this living document of our friendship.
I wanted to tell a story between two best friends sharing something sacred that has been a testament to their relationship.
In JAELP, Mitra and Bea have been writing a never-ending poem back and forth for five years, and the reader gets to see how that poem changes as the girls fall in love with one another.
For Mitra’s character, I wanted to explore what it would be like for someone to take the reverse journey that I took in high school–after 11 years in Catholic school, I transferred into a public high school for my junior year.
Mitra’s story starts with being thrust into a Catholic school in eighth grade. Mitra is Iranian American, queer, and not Catholic, so for someone like her to survive in a conservative Catholic environment, I figured she had to be quiet. She had to keep herself small and keep her head down.
I imagined that there would only be one place where she could take up space, and that’s inside the pages of the never-ending poem, with Bea.
Q: The writer Adiba Jaigirdar said of the book, “Just Another Epic Love Poem is both a beautiful queer love story and a poignant coming-of-age tale about healing and learning to forgive.” What do you think of that description?
A: This is such a thoughtful review from Adiba, who is an incredible storyteller of queer YA literature. She has described what I hope readers will take away from their time with Mitra and Bea.
JAELP is a love story, and it’s also a story of making messy mistakes, seeking reconciliation, and allowing yourself and others to heal.
Q: How would you describe the dynamic between Mitra and Bea?
A: I’d describe it as intimate. As two girls who are very much aware that they don’t fit into the microcosm of their Catholic school, they’ve created their own world where they can be themselves.
There’s an intensity and a sense of safety in that. They feel vital to each other’s survival in a place that doesn’t welcome them.
Because their never-ending poem is the one place where they can be honest and expansive, it’s become a sacred part of their relationship.
Q: Did you know how the novel would end before you started writing it, or did you make many changes along the way?
A: I had a different ending in mind when I first conceptualized this book, and after some helpful editorial feedback, things shifted in a beautiful way.
To avoid spoilers, I’ll say that I think the book ends with more hope and more healing than it would have with my original concept.
Q: What are you working on now?
A: I’m in the very early stages of another contemporary young adult novel. Because it’s still taking shape, I don’t have much to share, but I hope readers who enjoy JAELP will keep an eye out for my next book.
I’m also very excited to be heading to Hedgebrook for a writer-in-residence program this spring, where I’ll get dedicated time to write this next project.
Q: Anything else we should know?
A: I send out a newsletter called The Scratchpad, where I curate out a monthly dose of fun arts and culture finds, with a spotlight on marginalized creators.
It also features things like giveaways, upcoming events, and a peek inside my writing process, so it’s something readers, writers, librarians, and others can enjoy. You can subscribe on my website, www.parisawrites.com.
--Interview with Deborah Kalb
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