Dear Maine

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. 

Author photo by Lilit Danielyan

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. 

Author photo by Lilit Danielyan

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.

"The book looks at the question author and tattoo artist Phuc Tran asks in his introduction: 'How do we explore and value the contours and fissures in our disagreements without breaking ourselves apart, cracking ourselves asunder?' Telling stories is part of the answer."—Nina Mclaughlin, Boston Globe

"This is a powerful collection of 20 ‘essay-style profiles’ of immigrant men and women who’ve settled in Maine recently. The stories of their journeys reflect their fear, uncertainty and doubt, as most fled violence, war, poverty, political, religious and cultural persecution. The authors spent six years on this project, a notable effort to highlight immigrant sacrifices and contributions.”—Bill Bushnell, Kennebec Journal