The James Logan Courier

Faiza Elmasry, VOA News

"Farishta" means 'angel' in Dari, the widely spoken language in northern Afghanistan. It’s also the title of a novel by Patricia McArdle, a retired American diplomat who spent a year in Afghanistan.

Over her 27-year career as a U.S. diplomat, McArdle served in Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean and Europe. But it was her last assignment in Afghanistan that inspired her to write about her experiences.

However, instead of a memoir, she opted to write a novel inspired by real people and events.

“I couldn’t really use their names without compromising their safety and the work they’re doing in Afghanistan," she says.

From wikipedia:
James Van Der Zee (June 29, 1886 - May 15, 1983) was an African American photographer best known for his portraits of black New Yorkers. He was a leading figure in the Harlem Renaissance. Aside from the artistic merits of his work, Van Der Zee produced the most comprehensive documentation of the period. Among his most famous subjects during this time were Marcus Garvey, Bill "Bojangles" Robinson and Countee Cullen.

James Van Der Zee was born in Lenox, Massachusetts. His parents were John and Elizabeth Van Der Zee. His parents worked for President Ulysses S. Grant in New York City. James was the second of six children and enjoyed a close-knit family. His best friend was Justin Moore. As a child he learned piano, violin, and art. He discovered photography as a hobby in his hometown of Lenox. At age fourteen he received his first camera from a magazine promotion. His interest with the toy camera led him to getting a slightly better camera with which he would take hundreds of photographs of the town and his family. He was only the second person in Lenox to own a camera, and he developed the images himself. This early start led him to a vast and prolific career documenting each decade in his unique style of photography.


Watch a compilation of James Van Der Zee's photographs, free from YouTube.