The Sky is a Nest of Swallows From Behind the Burqa: the Voices of Afghan Women ; a Collection of Poems and Essays by Afghan Women Writers Written in the Context of the Afghan Women's Writing Project

A Collection of Poems and Essays by Afghan Women Writers written in the context of the Afghan Women Writers' Project (www.awwproject.org)The mission of the AWWP is to support the voices of Afghan women with the belief that to tell one's story is a human right. Since the project was founded in May 2009, over 90 Afghan women have participated in the AWWP mentorship program, honing their writing skills in English. In telling their own stories, these women gather strength, courage, and self-confidence. They become empowered to make change within their homes, their communities, and eventually their country. As one of the writers included in this collection states:"I took my pen to write and at first I was afraid: what to write? about what? But this was a project to write about everything, and I took the pen; I didn't write from outside of my heart, I began to write about whatever was in my heart... The writing project gave me a voice, the project gave me courage to appear as a woman, to tell about my life, to share my pains and experiences. I wonder how big the change in my destiny is because of your work and this project. Who would trust an online class, a writing project, to change a destiny and a faith? AWWP gave me the power to feel I am not only a woman; it gave me a title, an Afghan woman "writer." ... I took the pen and I wrote and everything changed. I learned if I stand, everyone will stand, other women in my country will stand." -Roya