avg_rating: 4.07
name: Tamara Agha-Jaffar
about: I have been in academia all my professional life, as a professor of English, an academic dean, and a Vice President for Academic Affairs. I retired in July 2013. I finally have time to do what I love best: read and write. My interest in reading runs the gamut from books on ancient cultures, beginning with the mythology and culture of ancient Mesopotamia; world religions; poetry, especially the poetry of the British Romantics; novels; the classics; and all things feminist. My awards include the 2004 Kansas Professor of the Year Award from the Carnegie Foundation and the 2010 President’s Call to Service Award for my volunteer work with the local school district, with victims of sexual assault, and with community shelters for battered women. I I have been in academia all my professional life, as a professor of English, an academic dean, and a Vice President for Academic Affairs. I retired in July 2013. I finally have time to do what I love best: read and write. My interest in reading runs the gamut from books on ancient cultures, beginning with the mythology and culture of ancient Mesopotamia; world religions; poetry, especially the poetry of the British Romantics; novels; the classics; and all things feminist. My awards include the 2004 Kansas Professor of the Year Award from the Carnegie Foundation and the 2010 President’s Call to Service Award for my volunteer work with the local school district, with victims of sexual assault, and with community shelters for battered women. I have written five books, two of them non-fiction:Demeter and Persephone: Lessons from a Myth (McFarland 2002), and Women and Goddesses in Myth and Sacred Texts (Longman 2004). I have written three novels:A Pomegranate and the Maiden (Anaphora Literary Press 2015) is my first novel. It is a retelling of the Demeter/Persephone myth through the voices of its characters. It is available on Amazon Kindle, Audible, and paperback. Unsung Odysseys tells the story of Odysseus' return from Troy through the voices of women. It is available on Amazon Kindle and paperback.Gilgamesh of Uruk is the story of the epic hero Gilgamesh from Ancient Mesopotamia. It is available on Amazon Kindle, Audible, and paperback.The three novels are available in a single collection, Ancient Reflections: A Mythic Trilogy.My passion is mythology, especially women's role in myths. I write a blog interpreting events and characters in mythology by breathing life into them to unearth their nuggets of wisdom. I have also posted over 450 book reviews on my website.Check out my website at www.tamaraaghajaffar.com ...more