Goran Baba Ali, The Man Who Was a Tree: A Novel. Afsana Press, 2025. A naked young man wears only a long leaf creeping around his body. In the daytime, he hides from people and the authorities, who are chasing him for being different and indecent. When night falls, he becomes a tree and wanders unnoticed through the streets and alleyways, observing all kinds of secret happenings in the city. One night at the outskirts of the city, by the side of a river, he goes into some nearby bushes. A street photographer, in a dreamy fuddled vision, spots him as he disappears. He embarks on an obsessive journey to find the tree-man to photograph him. As a result of this quest, the city goes into turmoil, as all eyes are on the naked young tree-man. In trying to rescue him, the photographer finds his own life thrown into disarray. Please order the book well in advance so you will have time to read it. Shipping will take a while.  Date: September 8, 2026 Time:  7 pm EDT Location: via Zoom.  For information, please write to info@nykcc.org.