We’re live once again at Awesome Con in Washington D.C. discussing SWANA representation in Fantasy & Sci-Fi!
Continue reading “The Middle Geeks Episode 77: LIVE at Awesome Con 2026 in Washington D.C.!”
We speak with actress Susan Pourfar of Meet the Cartozians, currently playing at New York City’s Second Stage Theater until December 14.
Continue reading “Susan Pourfar on the Cultural Resonance ‘Meet the Cartozians’”
I personally was never quite into the romance genre. But having read Iranian Canadian author Arezou Amin’s magnificent debut novel, The Aroosi Arrangment, coming out October 14, I realized just how badly I, and many other SWANA people, need to have this sort of representation.
Continue reading “Author Arezou Amin on Writing Iranian Canadian Love in ‘The Aroosi Arrangement’”
We interview Jaylee Hamidi on their role in Natasha Rothwell’s How to Die Alone!
Continue reading “The Middle Geeks Episode 69: Jaylee Hamidi on their Career and ‘How to Die Alone’”
Arezou joins us once again to review The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 2 on Amazon Prime!
Continue reading “The Middle Geeks Episode 68: ‘The Rings of Power’ Season 2 SPOILER Review”
Natasha Rothwell’s Hulu series How to Die Alone might initially seem like your run-of-the-mill dramedy series, mixing humor and sadness to balance out the stakes. But while watching, you realize that Rothwell and her team have struck a stark relatability that delves deeper than most shows.
Continue reading “Jaylee Hamidi on the Rich Storytelling of Hulu’s ‘How to Die Alone’”
Isa joins us once again to review the second season of Nida Manzoor’s masterpiece Peacock series, We Are Lady Parts!
Continue reading “The Middle Geeks Episode 66: ‘We Are Lady Parts’ Season 2 Review”
The Middle Geeks are LIVE at Awesome Con, discussing all things SWANA/MENA Representation!
Continue reading “The Middle Geeks Episode 64: Live at Awesome Con in Washington D.C.”
We welcome back Jasmin and Isa to discuss the latest from Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed franchise that takes us to the heart of Abbasid Baghdad!
Continue reading “The Middle Geeks Episode 62: ‘Assassin’s Creed Mirage’ Review and Updates on Gaza”
Our friends Arezou and Samira join us to review Maryam Keshavarz’s The Persian Version!
Continue reading “The Middle Geeks Episode 61: ‘The Persian Version’ Review on the Eve of Yalda”
Before anything else, we would like listeners to know we have an episode on Palestine coming soon. In the meantime we’re sharing donation links as we have done before.
Continue reading “The Middle Geeks Episode 57: Maryam Keshavarz on Telling ‘The Persian Version’”
May is Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month, a cause for celebration of these many diverse communities. But far too often, many who champion this month have belied and ignored specific groups within this collective, often presenting a limited scope of who counts as “Asian” or “Asian American” in this collective consciousness.
Continue reading “For AANHPI Heritage Month, Here are 50 West Asians in Pop Culture You Should Know”
Like us, you know her, you love her as Zari Tarazi on Legends of Tomorrow, it’s Tala Ashe herself on the podcast! Mae has a riveting conversation with Tala on her life and career, her time as Zari on Legends, what she learned about herself playing the role, her theater roles in the SWANA plays English and The Vagrant Trilogy, and much more!
Continue reading “The Middle Geeks Episode 48: Tala Ashe on Her Career and the Situation in Iran”
We welcome Iranian American actress Kathreen Khavari on the podcast!
Continue reading “The Middle Geeks Episode 46: Kathreen Khavari on Her Career and the Iran Protests”
What goes into learning a foreign language for your livelihood? How does one prepare to become a foreigner in an unfamiliar country? Encapsulating the migrant experience through the microcosm of a TOEFL class in 2008 Karaj, Iran, Sanaz Toossi’s searingly beautiful play English, directed by Knud Adams, answers all of this and much more, running at The Atlantic Theater in New York City to critical acclaim.
Continue reading “The Gift of Sanaz Toossi’s ‘English’”
We are joined by the Organizing Director of the National Iranian American Council (NIAC), Donna Farvard, and our friend and Vulture critic Roxana Hadadi to discuss acclaimed Iranian director Asghar Farhadi’s latest film and award-buzzed film, A Hero.
Continue reading “The Middle Geeks Episode 34: ‘A Hero’ Review and Reputation”
Slight setup spoilers for DC’s Legends of Tomorrow Season 7 follow below:
DC’s Legends of Tomorrow is coming back already! After closing Season 6 last month! In the Season 6 finale, just as our time-traveling superheroes celebrated their victory over alien invaders in 1925 Texas, their time-travel ship, the Waverider, was blown up by another Waverider that just came and left! This is where we see them at the beginning of Season 7, and there’s going to be no easy way for them to get out of this one.
Continue reading “Showrunner Keto Shimizu Discusses Season 7 of ‘DC’s Legends of Tomorrow’”
Shayan Sobhian, aka Behrad Tarazi of Legends of Tomorrow, joins Swara to discuss his upcoming episode, “This is Gus!” They talk about how Shayan relates to his character, the importance and impact of representation, and how Behrad may be developing this season. Enjoy listening!
This is a podcast form of the interview published here for The Nerds of Color.
Continue reading “The Middle Geeks: Shayan Sobhian of ‘DC’s Legends of Tomorrow’”
Since coming onto the Legends team in a revamped timeline in the Season 4 finale, Behrad Tarazi, younger brother of Zari Tarazi, has been a fixture on Legends of Tomorrow. But it was only this season that his actor, the mult-talented Shayan Sobhian, was promoted to a series regular. He’s the chillest member of the Waverider crew, always looking to defuse tension and make sure that he and his friends have a good time.
Continue reading “NOC Interview: Shayan Sobhian of ‘DC’s Legends of Tomorrow’”
Tala Ashe, who plays our favorite TV superhero Zari Tarazi, joins Swara for a discussion of the next Legends of Tomorrow episode, “The Ex-Factor!” They talk about the importance of Iranian, MENA, and Muslim representation, where Zari’s journey goes this season, and the experience of working on a show as exciting as Legends. Enjoy!
This is a podcast form of the interview published here for The Nerds of Color.
Continue reading “The Middle Geeks: Tala Ashe of ‘DC’s Legends of Tomorrow’”
Since debuting in Season 3 of DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, Zari Tarazi (Tala Ashe) has become a beloved fixture in the CW’s zaniest (but still very heartfelt) Arrowverse show. Besides the importance of her being the first major Muslim and Iranian-American superhero on network tv, she’s one of the most dynamic and compelling members of the Legends. Things have changed tremendously for Zari over the past few years, as her relationships with her teammates develops and changes and her brother Behrad (Shayan Sobhian) has become a member of the Legends. Now, in Episode 3 of Season 6, she’s faced with more personal challenges as it’s up to her to save the day in a reality tv show competition. We at the Nerds of Color had the opportunity to interview Tala Ashe about Zari’s story this episode, and where her journey in Season 6 will be going.
Continue reading “NOC Interview: Tala Ashe of ‘DC’s Legends of Tomorrow’”
DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, the wonderfully wacky and zany sibling of the Arrowverse, is coming back for its sixth season on May 2. The season five finale left fans on a cliffhanger with Sara’s abrupt abduction by aliens after the team drunkly celebrated their victory over the Fates in 1970s London. Even besides the capture of their leader, the Legends have many other team dynamics going on, and Nerds of Color was able to speak via phone call with co-showrunner and Executive Producer Phil Klemmer on what fans can expect for our ragtag group this upcoming season.
Continue reading “Co-showrunner Phil Klemmer Discusses New Season of ‘DC’s Legends of Tomorrow’”
Being a Middle Eastern kid in an American high school can be an awkward experience. You may struggle to fit in and have an unclear sense of your identity, making friends and relationships as a result. With the new show Chad on TBS, in which she plays the titular 14-year old character, Nasim Pedrad seeks to encompass that experience through reveling in the awkwardness that being an insecure MENA teenager can often entail. And it works for the most part, though the humor sometimes falls flat, especially when it leans too much into the awkwardness.
Continue reading “NOC Review: ‘Chad’ is Good, but Revels in Cringe”