On Courage, Turmoil, and the Transformative Power of Love with Marjan Kamali

Internationally Bestselling and Award-Winning Author of The Stationery Shop and Together Tea

Presented on: Thursday, May 7th 2026 at 7:00 PM EDT




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Join us for an exciting conversation with internationally acclaimed author Marjan Kamali as we delve into the timeless wonder of her New York Times bestselling novel, The Lion Women of Tehran. 

In 1950s Tehran, seven-year-old Ellie lives in grand comfort until the untimely death of her father, forcing Ellie and her mother to move to a tiny home downtown. Lonely and bearing the brunt of her mother’s endless grievances, Ellie dreams for a friend to alleviate her isolation.

Luckily, on the first day of school, she meets Homa, a kind girl with a brave and irrepressible spirit. Together, the two girls play games, learn to cook in the stone kitchen of Homa’s warm home, wander through the colorful stalls of the Grand Bazaar, and share their ambitions of becoming “lion women.”

But their happiness is disrupted when Ellie and her mother are afforded the opportunity to return to their previous bourgeois life. Now a popular student at the best girls’ high school in Iran, Ellie’s memories of Homa begin to fade. Years later, however, her sudden reappearance in Ellie’s privileged world alters the course of both of their lives.

Together, the two young women come of age and pursue their own goals for meaningful futures. But as the political turmoil in Iran builds to a breaking point, one earth-shattering betrayal will have enormous consequences.

Register now to hear directly from the author about the crafting of her tender, yet immensely powerful work. 

About the Author:

Marjan Kamali, born in Turkey to Iranian parents, is the New York Times bestselling author of The Lion Women of Tehran, The Stationery Shop, and Together Tea. She is the 2022 recipient of the National Endowment for the Arts Creative Writing Award. Her books have been translated into over thirty languages. Marjan lives with her family in the Boston area.

The views expressed by presenters are their own and their appearance in a program does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent. Reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by Licking County Library.