Dear Maine: The Trials and Triumphs of Maine’’s 21st Century Immigrants

＂Dear Maine, written by Morgan Rielly, an author and state representative, and Reza Jalali, a former refugee and executive director of the Greater Portland Immigrant Welcome Center, recounts the trials and triumphs of twenty immigrants who have arrived in Maine over the past few decades. Dear Maine includes black and white photographic portraits by Lilit Danielyan.＂-- Provided by publisher.

Reza Jalali is a writer, educator, human rights activist, and current executive director of the Greater Portland Immigrant Welcome Center. He also serves on Amnesty International USA’s Board of Directors. He has taught at the University of Southern Maine and Bangor Theological Seminary, and advised Muslim students at Bowdoin and Bates College. Jalali was a contributing writer to Child Labor: A Global View. He also wrote Moon Watchers, a children’s book, and Homesick Mosque and Other Stories, a collection of short stories.

Lilit Danielyan is a self-taught visual artist, currently based in Portland, Maine. She was born in Armenia but grew in Central Kazakhstan, where her family moved shortly after the collapse of the Soviet Union. In 2012, Lilit moved to the United States on her own, looking to further her education. Since 2015, she has been working on documentary photography projects shot between three countries, exploring the subjects of identity, belonging, and nostalgia. In 2017, Lilit’s photo-essay Tátik about her grandmother received an Honorable Mention at the International Documentary Photography Competition for students. In 2018, she became a Sam Abell Endowed Scholarship recipient at the Maine Media Workshops + College. Lilit now studies Psychology and Film at Smith College.Morgan Rielly is the state representative for House District 34, which includes part of his hometown of Westbrook. He is a member of the Legislature’s Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee. Morgan is the author of Neighborhood Heroes: Life Lessons from Maine’s Greatest Generation, which profiles Maine World War II veterans. Morgan is a graduate of Bowdoin College, where he double-majored in Religion and Government. At Bowdoin, he received a fellowship to work alongside Syrian and Iraqi refugees at a non-governmental organization in Amman, Jordan.