Sofi Oksanen, a Finnish-Estonian writer, connects violence against women, the Congolese mineral trade and the importance of oral history. Her new novel, Purge, examines the effects of violence related to mineral conflicts in the Congo.
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Sampsonia Way contributor Elizabeth Hoover reflects on a literary panel sponsored by City of Asylum Pittsburgh and PEN America.
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About a month ago, I went to see the poet Elizabeth Alexander speak at the Drue Heinz lecture series. She told the story of writing her poem “Praise Song for the Day” for President Barack Obama’s […]
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I am a little disappointed that she didn’t win the first prize, but I am also excited that so many people saw her reciting her brave poetry. The headline in Arabian Business reads “Saudi death treat […]
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OK, I admit it, I don’t really know what they are saying on “The Million’s Poets,” one of the most popular television shows in the Arab world. But I have been obsessively trolling YouTube and whatever […]
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Ever since I started preparing our most recent issue on Cuba, I have been following Yoani Sánchez’s blog, Generation Y. The first time I read it, I was enchanted by Yoani’s voice—bitter, sardonic but laced with […]
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I recently had dinner with a group of writers including Maxine Case and Marius Ivaskevicius, two authors who were writers-in-residence at City of Asylum/Pittsburgh by way of the University of Iowa International Writing Program. Marius, who […]
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