Welcome!
On March 8th,
International
Women's Day, an extraordinary event took place in Beverly Hills that
was the brainchild of our Creative Outreach Director, Jeff Lyons. Lyons paired Afghan Women's Writing Project (AWWP) with most major
Hollywood guilds to put on a dramatic reading at the Museum of
Tolerance.
Powerful actresses donated their time to read compelling work. The
guilds
came together to plan, produce, promote, and execute the evening. This
collaborative undertaking, headed by Lyons, required thousands of
combined
donated hours.
The outcome was astounding
and inspiring. I attended, along with incoming director Christina Asquith, a number of our teachers and one
of our Afghan writers. Don't miss checking out the video clips here. To get an idea of the scope of
involvement
and work the evening required, take a look at the credit page.
Reminder, for those in the
DC area, that we have another dramatic presentation coming up May 24th
at Theater J. More details here and forthcoming.
Word of AWWP has traveled to
Australia, where Sharni Montgomery has decided to use her desire to
get fit as an opportunity to raise money for AWWP. Want to improve
fitness
while helping AWWP? To find out how, contact her at sharni_montgomery@yahoo.com.au.
On to the work itself. Two
essays from our women who witnessed suicide bombings, a poem about
Afghanistan's
opium plant, an essay about adjectives and seeking self-knowledge: these
are just some of the pieces highlighted below and produced this month
by our Afghan writers under the mentorship of American authors. Make
this your starting point for exploring our online magazine, just out
with a brand new polished look thanks to the intensive work of Stefan Cooke.
Finally, to keep up with news
and the work of the Afghan writers, please join our Facebook fan page,
updated by Valerie Wallace, or follow us onTwitter, with tweets from
Cooke at AWWProject.
Thank you for your support,
and for giving us a piece of your time,
Masha Hamilton
Founder
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The Ground Shook: A Bomb in Kabul  I moved with heavy legs, stepping on small pieces of glass which looked
like a white sparkling carpet. I walked until the street turned brown and dusty
again. Wailing, screaming, and shouting, and the sirens of the ambulances and
police cars filled my ears. I found myself amidst a crowd of bystanders who
looked at me with sorrow and incredulousness. I just continued walking.
By Shakila
Click here to read the full essay.
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Part of Our Lives Now
 After two minutes, we came out of the room and saw everything was
messed up. The mirrors in all the rooms were all shattered. We were taken quickly
to the safe rooms. There, some of my colleagues were injured and were being
treated. Someone's head was cut, or someone's nose, hands or legs were injured.
I heard that one of our clients waiting outside to get in to see us was killed
and another injured.
By Yagana
Click here to read the full essay.
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Not An Afghan Woman
 I would love to be anything in this world
but not a woman
I could be a parrot
I could be a female sheep
I could be a deer or
a sparrow living in a tree
But not an Afghan woman.
By Roya
Click here to read the full poem.
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A Letter to Poppy
 You have destroyed my life
And replaced my house with ruin and garbage
Now I pass nights and days in the streets
I can't clean my body
I can't comb my hair
I hate you, poppy.
By Freshta
Click here to read the full poem.
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While the Schools Burn
 "I am burning,"
says the school.
"Who will save me?"
Unread books are sad.
They too, burned
by guns that write with fire.
By Freshta
Click here to read the full poem.
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Adjectives
 I don't know if I am brave, I don't know if I am successful, I don't
know if I am fearful, I don't if I am shy, I don't know if I am beautiful, I
don't know if I am quiet, I don't know if I am an optimist and I don't know if
I have the right to think for myself.
By Shogofa
Click here to read the full essay.
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A Word From Our Teachers
Kathy Ellison is a Pulitzer-prize winning former foreign correspondent and
author of four books. Her memoir, "Buzz: A Year of Paying Attention,"
is due out from Hyperion Voice in October.
In my three weeks of working with the talented women in Writing 101, I
read, among other things, a powerful poem about schools being burned, a
brilliant essay about the emotional roller-coaster of living in Afghanistan
when you care a0bout women's rights, and a thoroughly reported, important story
on the new women members of a provincial council. The common thread of all of
these pieces was passionate concern for Afghanistan, and this courageous
commitment, combined with the intellectual capacity of the writers, gave me
more hope for the future of the country than I've ever had before.
Neha Bawa is a poet and an educator at Tunxis Community College.
I was thrilled to begin working with the AWWP because I could combine
two of my greatest loves-women's rights and literacy. When I first approached
Masha about volunteering as a teacher, I was really excited that I could help
the organization and be a tiny, tiny part of the change that needs to happen
with women's lives in Afghanistan. And I'm very happy to say that I wasn't
disappointed in the least. Going into the rotation, I knew I was inheriting a
class with low participation, but I'm glad I didn't let that dissuade me. The
two or three students who did make the effort to participate and send in their
pieces were very eager for feedback, which made working with them very
rewarding. I hope that I've been able to broaden their horizons when they
consider writing about their lives. I've also exposed my current group of
on-ground students to the AWWP writers and, based on the women's writings,
we've had quite a few in-depth conversations about women in Afghanistan and the
Afghan culture as a whole. So, thank you very much for giving me the chance to
help you however I could.
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Contact AWWP:
For more information on the Afghan Women's Writing Project please contact:
Christina Asquith, Director
Phone: 202.230.6729
Email: christinaasquith@yahoo.com
The Afghan Women's Writing Project was begun as a way to allow the voices of Afghan women - too often silenced - to enter the world directly, without any mediation. This project is possible only because of the outstanding American women authors and teachers who generously donate their time and energy. Additionally, the tireless contributions of our Creative Outreach Director Jeff Lyons, webmaster designer StefanCooke, and our technical director Terry Dougherty have been crucial. Photography thanks and credit goes to Kathleen Rafiq and Heidi Levine. Our inspiring partners are SOLA and the Peter M. Goodrich Memorial Foundation; please visit their websites.
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Donations:
Online Donations for Afghan Women Writers:
Many of our
students and women writers, especially outside of Kabul, cannot get to an
Internet cafe due to security considerations. A laptop at home and a jump drive
would allow them to write their pieces, and then ask a male relative to send
the work at an Internet cafe. A $20 donation will buy a flash drive and $500 in
donations will buy a laptop for our women writers. No contribution is too
small. Thank you for considering it.
The Afghan Women's Writing Project is a non-profit with 501 (c) 3
status. Your tax deductible credit card donation will be handled by The Goodrich
Foundation's secure Paypal payment.
Click This Link To Make A Donation!
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To stay informed about the latest news, events, and other developments with the Afghan Women's Writing Project, please CLICK below and join our mailing list. We appreciate your support.
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Sponsors & Friends:
Please visit our sponsors as a way to thank them for their wonderful support:
Friends of Afghanistan
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