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Texas Nafas

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Texas Nafas founder, Farid Mohammadi, was a finalist for the Humanities Texas Award. In her nomination of Mr. Mohammadi, Dr. Betty Sue Flowers, wrote: "I find it remarkable that someone of Iranian origin is helping Texans come to a greater appreciation of their own poetic heritage." For a photo and more about the award, click here.

nafas-a word in Farsi
Nafas, in Middle-Eastern languages, is the word for ‘breath’ and a metaphor for spirit or life.

Texas Nafas airs on channel 10 & 16 @ varying hours . Please go to www.channelaustin.org and click on programming for exact air time.



When you shop @AmazonSmile, Amazon will make a donation to Texas Nafas. https://smile.amazon.com/ch/74-2898761


Poetry on DVD

For over a decade, Texas Nafas has been producing high quality DVDs in addition to its made for television programming. They include the Poetry Journal series of educational DVDs, wherein two distinguished scholars discuss and recite from the works of acclaimed poets, and the equally informative and entertaining readings of Rumi by Robert Bly, Coleman Barks and Naomi Shihab Nye.

Click here to view some clips.

See also our clips on YouTube!

Click here for more information about these treasures and to learn how to get your personal copy.

Now Also Available on Audio CD!

Click here for more information about these treasures and to learn how to get your personal copy.



Mission

The mission of Texas Nafas is to nurture the soul of mankind through poetry.  Our earnest desire is that poetry should be more widely read, written, performed, published, celebrated, recognized, and praised.  We bring poetry to new audiences through television, create educational videos to increase the understanding of poetry, and bring poetry to life through exciting performances.  Our work honors excellence in the poetry of all cultures.

   farid.gif (7531 bytes)
Founder Farid Mohammadi

Philosophy

Poetry is the language of the heart, and of the highest impulse of the spirit in all cultures.  To live closely with poetry is to exercise the very best in our being.

I give you the end of a golden string,
Only wind it into a ball,
It will lead you in at heaven's gate
Built in Jerusalem's Wall.
William Blake

History

Texas Nafas originated in 1997 when Farid Mohammadi first videotaped readings at the Austin International Poetry Festival for up to fifteen hours a day and interviewed poets over breakfast.  Mohammadi received so much interest from the Austin poetry community that he immediately began organizing volunteers to help in the production of a television show.  By July of 1997, Mohammadi had produced four episodes and was committed to a weekly broadcast schedule that has continued unbroken since then. 

In 2004, Texas Nafas presented its first live public reading in Austin, hosting Robert Bly and Naomi Shihab Nye to the delight of an audience of over 500.  The success of the program made history for the poetry community in Austin and was repeated the next year when we presented a reading by Coleman Barks to an audience of almost 1000. 

To make its work more widely available, Texas Nafas produces quality DVDs of its best programming.  Our first effort, featuring Robert Bly and Naomi Shihab Nye, was honored by a special recommendation from NPR.   One of our most ambitious DVD projects is Poetry Journal, a twelve-part series of lively scholarly discussion on master poets whose work is the core of education on poetry in America. 

Texas Nafas was incorporated as a nonprofit organization in 1998, and has received support from the City of Austin Arts Commission regularly since then. 

 

The original Texas Nafas team was based in Austin, Texas, and put many hours and many miles travel behind them to make poetry accessible to a mass audience. Thank you.

Texas Nafas was organized and is operated principally by its Executive Director and Producer, Farid Mohammadi.

 


Friends of Texas Nafas

Coleman
                      Barks
Coleman Barks, renown interpreter of Persian poet Rumi, poses with Farid following his
Texas Nafas produced presentation
at the Texas School for the Deaf in Austin, Texas.
Robert Bly
Robert Bly poses with Farid following his his Texas Nafas sponsored performance
with
Naomi Shihab Nye on April 13, 2004, at the Doubletree Hotel in Austin, Texas.



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