My Pen is the Wing of a Bird

'My Pen Is the Wing of a Bird' came about through the efforts of Untold Narratives, a UK-based organization which works to develop and amplify the work of writers marginalized by social, geopolitical or economic isolation, particularly those in areas with recent or ongoing conflict. In 2019 and early 2021, Untold put out open calls across Afghanistan, asking women to submit short stories in either of the country's two languages, Dari and Pashto. 

Writers responded from both metropolitan and rural areas. Subsequently, Untold's editors and translators worked collaboratively with writers, to develop their craft, connect them to one another, and share their stories with readers in their own languages. 

This work was interrupted last August, when the Taliban swept back to power. Notwithstanding that disaster, 18 women's stories are now able to reach new global audiences in English translation.

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