For Chinese activists government restrictions on their rights to move and travel are clear: once you’re in, you can’t get out, and once you’re out you can’t get in. Tienchi Martin-Liao highlights the cases of Li Jianhong and others who have tried to break through the “besieged fortress”.
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Exiled writers Marina Nemat, Omid Fallahazad, Moniro Ravanipour, Shahrnush Parsipur, and Roya Hakakian talk via Google Hangout about risking imprisonment for their writing, repression against opposition writers, the government’s crackdown on free press, and the condition of writing in exile.
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In commemoration of Black History Month, Sampsonia Way recognizes the African-American authors who have contributed their transformative words to our pages, among them Chris Abani, Amiri Baraka, Toi Derricotte, Thomas Sayers Ellis, Nikki Giovanni, Angela Jackson, and Yusef Komunyakaa.
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Did the ‘Caliphate’ really exist as a political and religious regime for transferring authority through Islamic history? Author Hamdy el-Gazzar comments on Islamic historian Mohammad Abu Rahma’s new book about the fight for authority throughout the more than 600-year history of Caliphate rule.
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Does Iranian or Middle Eastern heritage mean ‘terrorist’? Yaghoub Yadali examines prejudice and takes a close look at the short film “Brain of Terror,” in which the Iranian-American actress Kathreen Khavari plays 11 characters who are trying determine whether or not they’re terrorists.
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In this segment of The Writer’s Block, David Harris-Gershon discusses his writing process, the consequences he faced for publishing his memoir, What Do You Buy the Children of the Terrorist Who Tried to Kill Your Wife?, and writer’s responsibilities towards society.
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A new survey of press freedom around the world finds the United States has plunged 13 spots, now ranking just 46th among 180 countries.
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