“These past few years I’ve been driven into exile, hunted down and attacked from all sides.” The veteran Chinese journalist and former Southern Weekly commentator Xiao Shu, an important figure in the New Citizens Movement, speaks out on being silenced from China’s internet.
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Ranging from a discussion with Bangladeshi political cartoonist Arifur Rahman to an interview with Creek Indian poet and musician Joy Harjo, in 2013 Sampsonia Way continued its mission of sharing the essential voices of writers, journalists, and artists from around the world.
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Iranian novelist Yaghoub Yadali responds to Philip Roth’s recent announcement of his retirement with a deeply honest letter addressed to the celebrated author. While Yadali understands Roth’s reasons for calling it quits, he explains why “for an Iranian writer, retirement is meaningless.”
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A look at Ai Weiwei – The Fake Case, a new documentary produced and directed by Danish filmmaker Andreas Johnsen. Chronicling Chinese dissident artist Ai Weiwei’s life from 2009-2012, it follows his release from solitary confinement and subsequent placement under house arrest in 2011.
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The Iranian government aggressively blocks online content with an extensive blacklist of URLs and URL keywords. According to an Iran Media Program study, Iran’s digital filter blocks access to pages on one of internet’s most open platforms: Wikipedia. Here’s an infographic that shows key findings.
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On December 4, 2013, PEN PRESENTS: “Who’s Afraid of Free Speech?” brought together writers David Simon, E.L. Doctorow, Masha Gessen, Azar Nafisi, and moderator James Fallows of The Atlantic to address challenges to free expression in the digital age.
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Booker-prize winner, Kiran Desai, talks with PEN International’s Sarah Clarke about threats to freedom of expression in India and the role of PEN. The interview was took place at PEN’s 79th Congress in Iceland in September 2013, where Desai spoke on behalf of the newly launched PEN Delhi Centre.
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