The story of how a new children’s book ‘Memory Garden’ came about is as sweet and heartwarming as the story itself. A literary agent, Lilly Ghahremani from Full Circle Literary, helped sell her mother Zohreh Ghahremani’s picture book ‘Memory Garden’ to Macmillan, and the editor recommended a specific illustrator for the book not realizing the illustrator, Susie Ghahremani was the agent’s sister and the author’s daughter!
The unexpected behind-the-scenes family connection makes the story within ‘Memory Garden’ even more poignant. A lively afternoon together in Nana’s garden is full of laughter, discovery, and connection. In lyrical text that blends past and present, Memory Garden takes us to the places we leave behind but never forget. ‘Memory Garden’ is a picture book about gardening, immigration, and the memories we create outdoors as children.
Not only did we immediately fall in love with the stunning images and story, we equally loved the way this beautiful project came together, powered by the love of family and the Ghahremani’s connection to their heritage. We had the opportunity to learn about the Ghahremanis, the story behind ‘Memory Garden’, and what it means to release a book that draws on their Iranian culture and family ties as a way to bring people together in an undeniably divided world right now.
Can you tell us where your love of books and stories originated?
Zohreh: I grew up in a small town that offered few activities outside school and was raised in a rigid family that restricted me more than I deserved! Having a creative mind, during childhood I found a window of escape, first in magazines and short stories and, eventually, in books.
Lilly: Without question, my mom! We were lucky to grow up under the wings of someone who valued literature so much. Our house was filled with the latest novels, we were constantly gifted rare children’s books, and gorgeous art and photography books were everywhere. If we did something wonderful, we’d earn a coveted trip to the library. A great teacher conference? We’d get a book as a reward. She raised us to not just read, but to prize books and the adventures they hold.
Susie:We grew up around books and parents who are voracious readers, so I always felt at home in a library. Borrowing books felt (and still feels) like winning a precious prize.
You all work in adjacent careers in the literature world. How did you each end up where you are today?
Zohreh: I was always the unfortunate top student in my class, which gave my family a reason to push me into the medical field. I became a pediatric dentist and worked for years both as a practitioner and professor at Northwestern’s school of dentistry. All along, I never gave up writing – I would dictate in the car or write late at night if I had to. Finally, at the age of 50 gave up my unwanted career to be a full-time writer.
Lilly: I wasn’t sure I wanted to practice law when I graduated. I applied to one job at a small firm that represented authors. I thought it sounded intriguing, although I had never thought twice about the publishing process. Law didn’t sound appealing at the time, but getting to work with books? Yes, please! The more I learned about publishing there, the more I wanted to be in on the exciting side of things (sorry, lawyers!). I met Stefanie Sanchez Von Borstel and, united by our personal mission to increase the diversity in publishing, we launched our agency Full Circle Literary and the rest is history!
Susie: I studied illustration at the Rhode Island School of Design, and began working in the industry while I was a student, illustrating for newspapers and magazines. That work evolved into working on books, developing a gift collection, and eventually authoring and illustrating picture books.
‘Memory Garden’ is a beautiful story of family connection and Iranian culture, and in real life, this project brought you all together in a professional capacity also, unexpectedly! Can you share this story with us?
Zohreh: I have always respected my daughter Lilly’s judgment. For a long time, she had suggested that since I knew children well (I love children and was previously a pediatric dentist) and should try writing a picture book. A novelist, I had no intention of writing a children’s book but she’s persuasive! Meanwhile, Susie and I had talked about “maybe someday” getting to work on something together. Serendipity is the only word that can describe how our editor Laura Godwin brought us together to form this great team.
Lilly: Typical protocol is to sell the text of a picture book and then wait for the publisher to help lead the conversation about the right artist for it. I sold Zohreh’s text to the fabulous Laura Godwin, a renowned editor with her own imprint at Macmillan, Godwin Books. Once she snapped the project off the table, of course I rushed to draft an email to her about how Susie could be a great artist to consider…
I pressed send and went back to my inbox only to see I had an email waiting from Laura. In it, she asked if the author would be interested in having an artist named Susie Ghahremani illustrate her book? She loved Susie’s nature imagery and thought Susie could bring a beautiful commercial sensibility to the project.
As you can imagine, I had to read the email twice. I couldn’t believe it. I got teary. She hadn’t seen my email (I actually went to check the timestamps to answer this interview question- her email arrived 3 minutes before mine was sent!)
Many people don’t realize Ghahremani is actually a common Iranian last name, so she was right to not assume anything! Laura is to credit for this gorgeous match and the beautiful experience that has ensued for all of us.
Susie: I had been making picture books for over a decade and desperately wanted to work on a book with my mom, but she was just establishing herself as a children’s author, and it’s frowned upon to propose a manuscript with an illustrator attached. I will forever be grateful to our editor Laura Godwin for remembering the illustrations of gardens I painted in the picture book What Will Grow by Jennifer Ward, and inviting me to be a part of this project without knowing we were related, without knowing she’d be fulfilling one of my life’s greatest wishes.
The book centers around the story of a grandmother sharing her love of gardening with her granddaughter. Where did this story come from and when did you begin writing it, Zohreh?
Zohreh: I love gardening, and given a chance, try to share its joys with my four little granddaughters. So, the backdrop of a garden came naturally. I’ve always believed that, no matter where we come from, deep in our hearts there is a memory garden. I wanted to use a place familiar to children to help them get a glimpse of somewhere they may never see.
Susie where did you draw inspiration from for the illustrations?
Susie: Having never been to Iran myself, when my parents tell stories of the country they grew up in, I imagine it based on my experiences from the home I grew up in. The artwork, the language and music, the carpets, the flavors and colors. My concept for the illustrations was based on these sensory details and the way imagination can fill in the missing pieces. In Memory Garden, it is the imagination of the granddaughter that reveals everything we see. The cypress trees are monuments from Persepolis; the memories themselves appear in an ornate burst of color and pattern drawn from textiles.
I also wanted the garden to be inviting and vibrant – to be the place the characters inhabit together. I love nature and feel peace within it, so the care I put into the illustrations draws from an innate appreciation for it.
Lilly as an agent, how did it feel working on the promotion for this book knowing it was created by your family? Did you take any different approaches than you normally would?
Lilly: I always try to advocate fiercely for my authors, but there’s no way you can prepare for representing a one-of-a-kind family heirloom! This project is close to my heart for personal reasons and also generally, since I’m an Iranian-American myself and we are so rarely seen on bookshelves. So I wanted to be sure it didn’t fall through the cracks of marketing and publicity. The publishing industry relies on target marketing, but Iranian/Middle Eastern doesn’t fall into a neatly-boxed category of race/ethnicity yet. [Fun fact: it’s said there will may a new category on the upcoming US census to help include us]
I definitely got very hands-on with coaching the publishing team from the sidelines – helping them understand the actual size of the potential market, and places to connect with Iranians or other immigrant audiences. In this case, I definitely found myself personally pitching it for things here or there, because I know what this book could mean for readers, if they gain access to it.
Why was it important to include aspects of the immigrant experience in this picture book, and what do you hope families reading it will learn?
Zohreh: Immigration is a complicated subject, especially for children. And yet, it affects us all, especially now that the topic seems to come up on a daily basis. I wanted to make it understandable for little ones. As for the families, I hope that while reading it together, they will realize how important it is to tell their own stories.
Susie: I hope somewhere there is a child like me, who intuitively knows some part of their culture (even as they continue to learn about it), who will see themselves in the pages of Memory Garden and know they are richer for having parents or grandparents who took great risks to build a new life together, and to give them the gift of a multi-cultural life.
Storytelling is the magic ingredient that helps us understand the experiences of others. I hope families feel, share, remember, and explore their own stories after reading our book.
Creating memories with family can become such a powerful form of connection. What are some of your favorite family memories that you can share with us?
Zohreh: The highlight of all my family memories is being together and bonding through nature. Looking back, I see the places we traveled, the beautiful sites we visited, and the moments we shared. There is something magical in these experiences that goes beyond words. Nature is like music in that while we enjoy the beauty with no need for words, a magical bond forms between us.
Lilly: Celebrating Persian New Year together will forever be top of my list (and is ironically the topic of their next book together!) It helped me connect with a culture I didn’t often get to directly experience, and in such a joyful way, to boot. The sound of my parents’ happiness when they are speaking (loudly) long distance to relatives back home in Iran. Spending family time in gardens, whether the garden of our childhood home or in the Chicago Botanic Garden that my family loved. And popcorn and classic movies on a lazy Saturday. Even the book people love some TV from time to time!
Susie: My family has a shared sense of humor and adventure — and many of my favorite memories involve the combination of both. I delight in seeing the genuine surprise each member of my family has in reaction to animal encounters when we travel – when everyone is unguarded and totally open to the moment. I remember their exclamations and expressions, whether feeding surprisingly aggressive ostriches, seeing flying fish flinging themselves into sky above the ocean, or discovering a mega pod of dolphins bursting from the waves. (I still quote my mom from the latter. She stood up, waving her arms and announcing them to all fellow ferrygoers who would listen; her voice the very picture of glee.)
The joy of these shared experiences stays with me. I feel genuine gratitude every day for the brilliant, fun, creative family I am a part of.
With so much focus on the women and girls in Iran who have been championing freedom and life over the past few years as part of the Women, Life, Freedom movement, how do you hope ‘Memory Garden’ will empower young girls and women in their own lives alongside their family connections?
Zohreh: Iranian women have always been strong. From Tourandokht, the first female ruler of Persia 3,000 years ago to the young Iranian girls who are risking their lives for women’s freedom, they have left no doubt of that. I hope that Memory Garden empowers children to value themselves – their family’s stories and their own.
Lilly: We are all individuals, of course, but there is something so beautiful to me in being allowed to take pride, by association, in what those we love have been through before us. If Nana could be removed from such an idyllic setting and persevere to rebuild a beautiful new life, it feels like the possibilities for the rest of us Iranian women are really boundless.
Susie: I hope Memory Garden shows a shared sense of culture and connection that cannot be diminished by dangerous political regimes. I stand with the women in Iran bravely facing and fighting oppression today, and they only make me feel more proud of my identity and the resilience of my ancestors. I hope our book reflects back that same sense of cultural belonging, and makes young readers feel that sense of pride in their roots as well.
Storytelling is a beautiful and powerful way to create change while also forming connections in unlikely places. What do you hope readers will take to heart after reading the story of the girl and her Nana?
Zohreh: The similarity of the connection presented in this book with the stories of people from around the world is the best way for a young mind to understand how alike we all are. No matter where we came from, we now have a new garden to build and it is our job to use what we know to add to its beauty.
Susie: Storytelling will always be a way for us to connect and find common ground with each other — across generations, countries, and cultures. I hope that readers take to heart that Memory Garden is not just a Persian story, but a story about the connecting experiences anyone can have through shared experiences outdoors. Culture flows within and around us, regardless of where you are located or who you are. We grow so much stronger and wiser by learning about the people and the world around us.
Buy a copy of ‘Memory Garden‘ today, and follow Susie and Zohreh on Instagram.
