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Dignity of Lentil Soup
Michele Zackheim's profile on Russian writer and activist Stanislav Dmitrievsky, whose book may soon be banned by authorities. If found to be "extremist" in nature, Dmitrievsky himself will be… More
An Excerpt from A Time to Dance
“God is born, at different times, in different places, with different names./ He dances in heaven as Shiva, creator of universes; / He lived on earth as Buddha, human… More
Four Digital Security Lessons for Writers
Four lessons on digital security from the PEN International Writers in Prison conference. More
Philip Roth: 2013 Literary Service Award Remarks
Some of whom I met and spoke with were selling cigarettes at a streetcorner kiosk, others were welding a wrench at the public water works, others spent their days… More
Love for Kierkegaard
What others owe to me is none of my business. Kierkegaard writes, "Christianly understood you have absolutely nothing to do with what others do to you." "Essentially," he continues,… More
Closing Argument at Guantanamo II: The Torture of Mohammad Jawad, Continued
If ever there were a textbook case of outrageous government conduct, this is it. Almost any one of these things would be sufficient to warrant dismissal. Cumulatively, it… More
Censorship and Power in Iran
Maziar Bahari, Jon Stewart, and Joel Simon discuss press freedom in Iran in the run-up to the crucial June presidential election More
Two Poems by Hoa Nguyen
Screaming mostly / I like to dance dark woods / stony hills lonely & moody /… More
This Book is Not a Car
When my husband and I started writing young adult novels 20 years ago, I never expected our biggest obstacle to be the Nervous Parent. I think that’s because I… More
China Shuts Down Murong Xuecun’s Microblogging Accounts
A wave of deletions of popular online commentators hits writer Murong Xuecun; Murong hits back in a powerful Guardian essay. More