I grew up in the san francisco bay area. My mam was from illinois. My dad was from iran. And, you know, as their life progressed, they would travel back and forth to iron n a lot. So i always had this this curiosity, this interest. When i was 25, for the first time, i had the opportunity to go to uron. I made that first trip in two thousand one, several months before nine 11. You know, i never wanted for work after that. There was always an opportunity for me to publish my stories. As a free lancer, i would write about everything. ...i was looking for stories of real people