Words and Nerds: Authors, books and literature.

797. Dani Vee and Mohammed Massoud Morsi - The Hair of the Pigeon, humanity and pathways to publishing

·48 min·4 clips

An Egyptian Danish Australian writer spent 20 years crafting a novel to challenge Hollywood's dehumanizing narratives about the Middle East.

The frame is gentle. Dani welcomes listeners into a 2026 slate of authors, illustrators, publishers, inclusive conversation, mental health, and fireside-chat warmth. The episode does not stay there for long. The guest talks about division as a choice people make when they hide inside groups that match how they look, what they believe, or how they already see the world. His answer is small enough to picture: sit down for tea or coffee with someone who may look different, believe differently, or bring a whole other set of assumptions into the room. That image gives the conversation its shape. Difference is not a contest to win. It is a reason to keep the room open a little longer. There is a political edge, too. The guest mentions politicians who trade on division, then keeps the attention on the bigger habit underneath it. Dani listens closely as the talk moves from society into psychology, especially the way shared resentment can feel like belonging while making people less honest with each other. That part stings. Gossip, silos, and wartime thinking all become ways people bond by turning someone else into the enemy. The conversation keeps coming back to dignity. Religion, gender, appearance, and speech are places where democratic life has to leave room for people to differ without being stripped down. Writing sits right beside that. Near the end, the book, the guest's experience, and the episode's larger concern all come together: stories can loosen views that have gone hard. Dani calls the chat beautiful. The guest's reflections make the case that meeting other lives can do more than another online argument. Nothing feels rushed. The episode widens slowly, from book talk to human connection, then from publishing paths to the harder business of sharing a society.

As heard by us

A book conversation that opens into a thoughtful appeal for connection across difference.

The episode starts with books and paths to publication, then gradually settles into a warmer conversation about humanity, belonging, and connection across difference.

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Why you'd press play

You want a book chat that moves from creativity and publication pathways into online rage, coffee, and what it means to share space with other people.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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