Peter Adrian Behravesh
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behravesh.bsky.social
Peter Adrian Behravesh
@behravesh.bsky.social
430 followers 400 following 140 posts
Miller Award-winning writer of Persian monstrosities and naftpunk. BFA-winning and Hugo/Ignyte-nominated audio producer. ایرانی He/him.

Story Game Designer for MTG at Wizards of the Coast. Opinions are my own. #WotCStaff
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behravesh.bsky.social
My copy of Iran+100 arrived! I feel honored to have been a part of this project. Now more than ever, it’s vitally important to amplify West Asian voices.

Please consider ordering a copy, if you have the means. And if not, I would be incredibly grateful if you spread the word about this anthology. 🙏🏼
A book lying on a black-and-white patterned surface. The title reads “Iran+100: Stories from a Century after the Coup.”
August 23, 2025 at 2:55 PM
behravesh.bsky.social
Buscemi would like you to know that he's had a VERY difficult day of naps and walks.
A small white dog looking tired and forlorn on a carpeted floor.
August 8, 2025 at 9:43 PM
behravesh.bsky.social
I am INCREDIBLY excited to introduce Iran+100, a collection of stories from Iranian writers all over the world. It examines what life in Iran might look like in 2053, 100 years after the US-backed coup that overthrew Mosaddegh and led to the Iranian Revolution.
An image of five books on a desk: Iran+100, Egypt+100, Kurdistan+100, Palestine+100, and Iraq+100.
August 6, 2025 at 1:47 AM
behravesh.bsky.social
This advice saved my life (maybe add a third E for hEadphones)
A post by Deirdre/@figgled with the words: Before u leave the house, think of the acronym ‘WOWEE’ Wallet phOne Wkeys Egg Egg (backup)
June 7, 2025 at 6:04 PM
behravesh.bsky.social
Look what arrived in the mail!
A hardcover book sitting on a chair. The cover image depicts Heracles fighting the Lernaean Hydra. The text reads: The Oxford Handbook of Monsters in Classical Myth, edited by Debbie Felton. An open book on a chair. The text on the recto page reads: Pearls from a Dark Cloud Monsters in Persian Myth
 Peter Adrian Behravesh
 Introduction
From gigantic birds to horned wolves to liver-stealing demons, the Persian mythological tradition is a trove of wonderfully monstrous creatures. This chapter will examine these monsters as they appear in myths written in the New Persian language and its predecessors (including Middle Persian and Avestan), drawing on sacred and cosmogonic texts such as the Avesta and the Bundahishn, and fictional (or loosely historical) stories and epics such as the Shāhnāmeh, with particular emphasis on works written in the tenth to fourteenth centuries CE by poets steeped in the oral traditions of Persian antiquity. Many monsters in these texts are Zoroastrian in origin, though a few find their roots in Islam. Some are simply agents of creation or destruction, mischief or temptation. Others represent a range of anxieties, from the threat of foreign rulers to the perils of childbirth. While no single chapter could hope to fully explore the vast menagerie of monstrosity found within the myths of Persia, I aim to provide a primer on the most prominent Persian monsters and how they influenced or were influenced by other mythological traditions, such as the Greek, Chinese, and Arabo-Islamic mythoi. I broadly delineate Persia as the region containing modern Iran and the surrounding areas under imperial control during the Median, Achaemenid, Parthian, and Sāsānian eras (seventh century BCE to seventh century CE), though I will also discuss texts written or collected under Arab and Mongol rule (seventh to fourteenth centuries CE). From here on, I will refer to the region itself as Iran, as in the texts. Moreover, except in cases where there is a commonly accepted English transliteration, I have used the Association for Iranian Studies’ transliteration scheme for Persian words.
April 15, 2025 at 2:15 AM
behravesh.bsky.social
Behold! In all its glory! The Thicket Basilisk cake I begged my mom to make me for my 11th birthday! (I misremembered the year in my previous post.) #mtg #wotcstaff
A birthday cake with white frosting and a black licorice border. On it are 11 candles, a green basilisk made out of frosting, and the words “Summon Behravesh.”
April 7, 2025 at 8:33 PM
behravesh.bsky.social
Exciting career news! I’ve joined Wizards of the Coast as a Story Game Designer on Magic: The Gathering!

I’ve loved Magic since I was 9 years old and begged my mom to bake me a Thicket Basilisk birthday cake (pic to come), so this is a dream come true. I’m still pinching myself! #mtg #wotcstaff
An excited man in a black suit and snazzy shoes stands beside Mitzy the dragon in the Wizards of the Coast lobby.
March 25, 2025 at 12:16 AM
behravesh.bsky.social
Nowruz piruz! This year’s haftsin contains a hint about some exciting news I’ll be sharing very soon!
An image of a haftsin, the decorated table displayed during Nowruz, the Persian New Year. It contains seven items that start with the letter “s” in the Persian language: vinegar, sumac, garlic, oleaster, wheat grass, wheat pudding, and an apple. Other symbolic items include candles, coins, eggs, a mirror, and a book of Persian poetry. Tucked inside the book is a partially obscured card sleeve bearing the Planeswalker symbol. Behind the table, bookshelves groan with the weight of various board games.
March 20, 2025 at 1:45 PM
behravesh.bsky.social
#HugoAwards nominations are now open, which feels like the perfect opportunity to update my eligibility post. I'd be honored if you'd consider HEAVENS' REVOLUTION (a Persian dieselpunk adventure that's been repeatedly praised for its worldbuilding and intrigue) for Best Game or Interactive Work!
An image of a woman in black wearing a lion mask and holding a rifle aloft. Behind her is a Persian city silhouetted against a large, red sun. One of the buildings is billowing smoke. The text reads: Heavens' Revolution: A Lion Among the Cypress by Peter Adrian Behravesh. October 2024, Choice of Games. For Your Consideration, 2024 Awards Eligibility. Nebula Award for Best Game Writing. Hugo Award for Best Game or Interactive Work.
February 11, 2025 at 5:03 AM
behravesh.bsky.social
I'm thrilled to be a part of the social media cover reveal for THE GLADE, award-winning author Naseem Jamnia's MG horror debut coming out on May 27!

THE GLADE is pitched as Ellen Oh's Spirit Hunters meets Katherine Arden's Small Spaces, and it stars a queer, racialized cast of misfits.
An image showing the cover for The Glade by Naseem Jamnia, including a wavy speech bubble that says, “Preorder now!” and another text block that says “Available May 27.” The cover shows a light-skinned Iranian American tween with long wavy brown hair blowing across her face as she looks up and away, a light illuminating her from behind. Her fists are clenched and her expression tight. She’s wearing a blue-purple hoodie, halfway unzipped to show a dark shirt, and jeans. Around her are glowing green mushrooms, including ones that are twisted and gnarled like tree trunks, and long grass. Subtle spider webs cover some areas. The title and author name are at the top, with vines curled around some letters.
January 29, 2025 at 4:23 AM
behravesh.bsky.social
My essay, PEARLS FROM A DARK CLOUD: MONSTERS IN PERSIAN MYTH, was published in The Oxford Handbook of Monsters in Classical Myth in October 2024. It examines how monsters in Persian mythology influenced (or were influenced by) other mythoi. As of today, it's also available in the US.
A book cover depicting Heracles battling the hydra. The text reads: The Oxford Handbook of Monsters in Classical Myth, edited by Debbie Felton.
December 31, 2024 at 6:57 PM
behravesh.bsky.social
This is my first time writing an awards eligibility post, so hopefully I'm doing this right! My interactive novel came out last month, and it's eligible for the Nebula Award for Best Game Writing. If you enjoyed it and would like to nominate it, that would be amazing. And if not, that's cool, too!
An image of a woman in black wearing a lion mask and holding a rifle aloft. Behind her is a Persian city silhouetted against a large, red sun. One of the buildings is billowing smoke. The text reads: Heavens' Revolution: A Lion Among the Cypress by Peter Adrian Behravesh. For Your Consideration, 2024 Awards Eligibility. Heavens' Revolution: A Lion Among the Cypress, October 2024, Choice of Games. Eligible for Best Game Writing, Nebula Awards.
November 20, 2024 at 3:26 PM
behravesh.bsky.social
Happy Halloween! The Oxford Handbook of Monsters in Classical Myth (which contains my essay, “Pearls from a Dark Cloud: Monsters in Persian Myth”) is out today in the UK!

The US edition will pub on 12/31, but if you live in the UK, you can order it here:

global.oup.com/academic/pro...
October 31, 2024 at 8:43 PM
behravesh.bsky.social
Holy hell, my editor commissioned new art for my interactive novel, and it's GORGEOUS!

I love the art by Darya Bajestani as well, so I'm very happy to say that we'll be using both.

HEAVENS' REVOLUTION: A LION AMONG THE CYPRESS will be released on 10/24/24. (This is a change from a previous post.)
October 5, 2024 at 9:01 PM
behravesh.bsky.social
Nowruz Journal #4 is out, with a poem by yours truly! I'm so honored to be featured among such amazing writers.

nowruzjournal.com/poetry/brave...
An image that reads: Nowruz Journal, Fourth Issue, featuring Samira Ashari, Mahnaz Zohreh Bayazi, Monir Gholamzadeh Bazarbash, Peter Adrian Behravesh, Tina Ehsanipour, Sarah Esmi, Maryam Ghatee, Celina Naheed, David Shams. NowruzJournal.com
August 7, 2024 at 12:01 AM
behravesh.bsky.social
Thrilled to post my first Publishers Marketplace deal report since becoming an acquiring editor. This book is already dear to my heart, and I can't wait for Omid to share his journey with the world.
October 6, 2023 at 1:18 AM