This week, Voice of Witness is excited to announce the release of our newest title, Throwing Stones at the Moon: Narratives from Colombians Displaced by Violence, edited by Max Schoening and Sibylla Brodzinsky. The remarkable oral histories in Throwing Stones at the Moon describe the most widespread consequence of Colombia’s human rights crisis: forced displacement.
To read a review of Throwing Stones at the Moon and see why Truth-Out described the book as “beautifully edited…less like a written record and more like a story you listen to…”, click here.
To read a Q&A with Max and Sibylla on McSweeney’s Internet Tendency, click here.
And, to read an excerpt from Throwing Stones at the Moon on Granta, click here.
Last week, Voice of Witness co-founder and author Dave Eggers was interviewed by Tavis Smiley and Cornel West on PRI’s Smiley & West. They discussed Voice of Witness’ newest title, Inside This Place, Not of It: Narratives from Women’s Prisons, and Dave’s forthcoming novel, A Hologram for the King.
Last Sunday, Robin Levi, c0-editor of Inside This Place, Not of It: Narratives from Women’s Prisons, sp0ke on a panel discussing incarcerated mothers on MSNBC’s The Melissa Harris-Perry Show. Joining Robin on the panel was Tina Reynolds, co-founder of WORTH, and Reverend Vivian Nixon, co-founder of the Education Inside Out Coalition.
Click here for more information on Inside This Place, Not of It.
Read the review to learn more about Patriot Acts, the effects of surveillance in the post-9/11 era, and why author Jennifer Sears writes, “The stories collected in Patriot Acts…will likely continue to gain resonance as increased surveillance and security tactics become the norm of everyday life in the United States.”
This week, Voice of Witness editor Sibylla Brodzinsky published an article in the Christian Science Monitor, continuing her reportage of the release of hostages held by Colombia’s FARC rebels. The FARC released ten hostages this week, all of whom have been held in captivity by the rebel group for over a decade. There is hope that this action will begin peace talks between the Colombian government and FARC.
Sibylla is co-editor of the forthcoming title by Voice of Witness, Throwing Stones at the Moon: Narratives from Colombians Displaced by Violence. Coming September 2012, Throwing Stones at the Moon describes the most widespread of Colombia’s human rights crises: forced displacement. Click here to learn more about the book.
To read Sibylla’s article in the Christian Science Monitor, click here.
Listen to Excerpts from Last Month’s ‘Evening of Witness’
Thank you to everyone who came out to Evening of Witness last month! We’re delighted to present a selection of audio pieces created during the event by radio producer Rachel James, with photography by Geordie Wood.Click here to listen to them all, or hear a short excerpt below.
About Evening of Witness: Powerful water events are shaping our world and lives ever more dramatically. The March 21st event Evening of Witness was a chance to reflect – as a global community – on our relationship with this dominant and essential force. The Magnum Foundation and Voice of Witness partnered to weave visual and spoken narratives about personal and international water politics. Supported by the ongoing Water Initiative at the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine, this cross-platform documentary event took place in one of New York City’s most magnificent Gothic Cathedrals.
Colombia’s FARC Rebels to Stop Practice of Kidnapping
This week, Voice of Witness editor Sibylla Brodzinsky published an article in the Christian Science Monitor. Sibylla reports that Colombia’s FARC rebels will no longer use kidnapping as an intimidation tactic in an effort to restart peace talks, and they will release their “prisoners of war”—members of the military and politics used for exchange with captured rebels.
Sibylla is co-editor of the forthcoming title by Voice of Witness, Throwing Stones at the Moon: Narratives from Colombians Displaced by Violence. Coming this fall, Throwing Stones at the Moon describes the most widespread of Colombia’s human rights crises: forced displacement. Click here to learn more about the book.
To read Sibylla’s article on the Christian Science Monitor, click here.
Ayelet Waldman and Robin Levi discuss ‘Inside This Place, Not of It’ on the Leonard Lopate Show
Last week, editors Robin Levi and Ayelet Waldman joined prisoner rights activist Tina Reynolds on The Leonard Lopate Show to discuss Inside This Place, Not of It: Narratives from Women’s Prisons, as well as the policies and conditions faced by incarcerated women in the U.S. Of the book, Lopate stated: “We may hear about prisons, but not much from prisoners, and certainly not from women prisoners, which makes Inside This Place, Not of It so unusual.”
In The Nation, Alia tells the story of Shukri Abu-Baker, imprisoned in the highly secretive Communication Management Unit (CMU) in Terre Haute, Indiana, with severe limits on communication with his family. Click here to read the full article.
In The Christian Science Monitor, Malek denounces the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which authorizes the indefinite detention of American citizens suspected of terrorism. The Act was signed into law by President Obama on New Year’s Eve. Click here to read the full article.
Also in the news, Patriot Acts narrator Talat Hamdani was featured on the New York Times website on the first day of the year. In Patriot Acts, Talat tells the moving story of her son’s death in the collapse of the Twin Towers and the suspicion with which he was sought by the police in the following months. Click here to read Talat’s full narrative, excerpted on McSweeney’s Internet Tendency before the title was published.
For more information on Patriot Acts: Narratives of Post-9/11 Injustice or to purchase the book, please visit the McSweeney’s website here.
Voice of Witness is a non-profit organization that uses oral history to illuminate contemporary human rights crises in the U.S. and around the world. Founded by author Dave Eggers and physician/human rights scholar Lola Vollen, Voice of Witness publishes a book series that depicts human rights injustices through the stories of the men and women who experience them. The Voice of Witness Education Program brings these stories, and the issues they reflect, into high schools and impacted communities through oral history-based curricula and holistic educator support.
This week, Voice of Witness is excited to announce the release of our newest title, Throwing Stones at the Moon: Narratives from Colombians Displaced by Violence, edited by Max Schoening and Sibylla Brodzinsky. The remarkable oral histories in Throwing Stones at the Moon describe the most widespread consequence of Colombia’s human rights crisis: forced displacement.
