The Massachusetts Poetry Festival 2016

Founded in 2009 by American journalist Masha Hamilton, the Afghan Women’s Writing Project strives to give women the basic human right to tell their own stories – a right that has often been denied because of the long Taliban rule and the history of oppression in Afghan culture. Through online writing workshops led by international writers, educators, and journalists, AWWP empowers women in seven of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces. For security reasons, the identities of the writers are not fully disclosed. Pat Mottola and Nancy Antle, who mentor Afghan women writers, joined by two Afghan writers, will read from Washing the Dust from our Hearts, a bilingual book (English and Dari) published by Grayson Books in cooperation with the Afghan Women’s Writers Project. Following the reading they will lead a discussion of the role of poetry as a “human right” and answer questions.