Beth Golay recently spoke with Kaveh Akbar about inserting aspects of himself into "Martyr!" - from character traits to his love of literature - what it means to write a book about martyrs as an Iranian-American, and much more.

Poet Kaveh Akbar on his debut novel, 'Martyr!'

From KMUW Studios and part of the NPR Network, Marginalia is a weekly 29-minute show hosted by Beth Golay. Episodes always features an author interview, and *sometimes* include editorial commentary, book reviews, indie bookstore reading recommendations and other marginalia to enhance the reading experience. Since 2015, Beth has interviewed hundreds of authors, including Pulitzer Prize–winners, US Poet Laureates and two Nobel Laureates.Several of Beth's interviews are included each year in NPR's Books We Love (formerly known as Book Concierge). And you can see the list of what Beth has read since she started keeping track in 2003.Listen to KMUW on Saturdays at 11:30 am CT, find episodes below, or subscribe to Marginalia wherever you get your podcasts.Marginalia is available to public radio stations through PRX.

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Poet Kaveh Akbar on his debut novel, 'Martyr!'

Poet Kaveh Akbar on his debut novel, 'Martyr!'

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