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Uighur PEN Member Ilham Tohti Barred From Travel Outside China
For the second time this spring, the Chinese government has prevented a member of PEN, the worldwide association of writers, from participating in a public program in Europe, a… More
Amir and Khalil: Mehdi’s Gone
"Mehdi’s Gone" is part of Zahra’s Paradise, a story set in the aftermath of Iran’s 2009 elections that First Second Books is publishing online in Farsi, Arabic, English, French,… More
PEN Appeal: Ragip Zarakolu and Mehmet Güler
April 6, 2010 Mr Sadullah Ergin Minister of Justice 06669 Kizil Ankara, Turkey Fax: 00 90 312 419 3370 Your Excellency, On behalf of the… More
Twitter: One Writer’s Beginnings
Twitter is of great political consequence in Iran and Gaza, but in the U.S. it is about as consequent as Kim Kardashian or Paris Hilton.Narcissists and exhibitionists abound! What… More
A Truly Mad Business
From: Claire MessudTo: Mohammed Naseehu AliSubject: a place to beginDear Mohammed,It’s Claire Messud here, with a wave & a shout. It’s with great pleasure that I’ve been reading a… More
A Kind of Vast Fiction
From: Jonathan LethemTo: David GatesSubject: the old transmissionHey, David. As I was saying to my 2,472 friends the other day, these certainly are strange times in the history of… More
His Mother’s Voice
In high spirits, I waved to the waiter, and called my mother to warn her I'd be late. An urgent case, I lied. The way I sometimes lied, though… More
My Octopus Orphan and My Wolf Sister
My Octopus Orphanthinks his suction cups are radios.He presses them to his head andit’s always Ma playing on AM,Father on FM. His eyes turn inward,and he buries himself in… More