In this episode of Peace is Power , Janessa Gans Wilder speaks with Ari Honarvar, an Iranian-American writer, artist, and founder of Rumi With a View. Ari reflects on growing up in Iran during the Islamic Revolution and the Iran-Iraq War, where women’s freedoms were stripped away, and fear became part of daily life.
After witnessing repression and violence firsthand, her parents made the heartbreaking decision to send her alone to the United States at age 14 for her safety.
The conversation explores exile, identity, trauma, and the emotional dislocation of leaving one’s homeland and family behind. Ari shares how poetry, music, art, and community became sources of sanctuary and resistance during war.
Together, Janessa and Ari discuss rehumanization, nonviolence, feminine leadership, and the challenge of keeping the heart open in times of destruction and division.
Key Takeaways:
Rehumanization Is an Act of Resistance
Ari explains how her work uses storytelling, art, and joy to reconnect people to the humanity behind war, displacement, and political violence.
Exile Leaves Both Emotional and Physical Wounds
Being separated from family, language, and culture created a profound sense of dislocation that shaped Ari’s understanding of trauma and resilience.
Beauty Can Sustain Us During Crisis
Ari describes how people found moments of sanctuary and dignity even during war and oppression.
Peace Requires Justice
The conversation challenges simplistic ideas of peace, emphasizing that peace without dignity, accountability, and collective liberation is incomplete.
Keeping the Heart Open Takes Strength
Ari speaks about developing the capacity to hold grief, anger, and compassion without losing one’s humanity.
Timestamps:
(00:12) Peace as connection, not domination. Janessa introduces the podcast's central theme and explores the idea that true power comes from connection rather than force.
(01:32) Growing up during revolution and war. Ari reflects on her childhood in Iran during the Islamic Revolution and the Iran-Iraq War.
(06:06) Leaving Iran alone at age 14. Ari shares the heartbreaking circumstances that led her parents to send her to the United States for safety.
(10:27) Rebelling against oppression. From dressing as a boy to writing anti-regime graffiti, Ari describes her early acts of resistance against gender restrictions.
(13:15) The trauma of exile and dislocation. The conversation explores the emotional toll of being separated from family, language, and homeland.
(17:16) Witnessing suffering from afar. Ari discusses the grief and helplessness of watching violence unfold in Iran while living abroad.
(24:37) Rehumanizing the victims of war. Ari explains her project highlighting the people, schools, and communities affected by bombings and political violence.
(31:07) Keeping the heart open during difficult times. Janessa and Ari reflect on the strength required to remain compassionate in the face of pain and destruction.
(36:29) What Iranian women are teaching the world. Ari discusses collective liberation, feminine leadership, and the broader meaning behind women-led resistance movements.
(37:05) Rooftops, missiles, and Rumi. Ari shares a childhood memory of neighbors reciting poetry during air raids, finding sanctuary in beauty and art.
(43:40) Violence, self-defense, and nonviolence. A nuanced conversation about whether violence can ever be justified in situations of oppression and survival.
(51:38) Joy and embodiment as resilience practices. Ari describes how breath, art, gratitude, and community help sustain people through trauma and overwhelm.
(52:24) The mirror poem and self-reflection. Ari shares a poem by Nizami Ganjavi about confronting ourselves instead of projecting blame outward.
(55:05) Why peace without justice is incomplete. The episode closes with a reflection on the relationship between peace, justice, and collective wholeness.
Guest bio:
Ari Honarvar is an award-winning writer, artist, and speaker whose work bridges the intersections of art, social justice, and collective well-being. As a presenter for the Solutions Journalism Network, her writing has been featured in The Guardian , The New York Times , Newsweek , Teen Vogue , and Yes! Magazine , among other publications.
A Girl Called Rumi , Ari’s award-winning debut novel, has garnered widespread acclaim as a BookFest and Nautilus Award winner, a Locus and Foreword INDIES finalist, and one of Kirkus Reviews ’ Best Books of 2022.
Her literary contributions extend to several anthologies and celebrated flash fiction. Additionally, she created the Rumi’s Gift Oracle Deck, which pairs her original translations and meditations with the evocative artistry of Carmen Costello.
In her capacity as the Iranian Musical Ambassador of Peace, Ari continues her mission to bridge divides across conflict-ridden borders through the power of poetry and music. She frequently dances with refugees and leads Resilience through Joy workshops for displaced individuals and healthcare professionals across Europe and the U.S.-Mexico border. Following the success of these initiatives, she now provides customized versions of these programs to educational institutions, nonprofits, and organizations committed to the work of social justice.
In her commitment to fostering connection through art, Ari established the Drop Poems Not Bombs initiative, which facilitates the exchange of musical love letters from American artists to the Iranian people. Additionally, she spearheads Dance for Freedom, a project dedicated to mobilizing international solidarity and support for protesters in Iran.
Follow Ari:
Website- https://rumiwithaview.com/
Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/rumiwithaview/
This episode is sponsored by Euphrates Institute, a global community equipping everyday people to become peacebuilders through trainings, workshops, resources, and monthly calls. Join us at www.euphrates.org.
Peace is not passivity. It is a moral, creative, and spiritual force. And the world needs you to find it; in your relationships, your community, and whatever corner of the world you call home.
This is your invitation. This is your moment.
Learn more at https://peaceispower.org
