INTERVIEW: Encore Episode The Power of Words: Samman Akbarzada on Finding Her Voice After Fleeing Afghanistan
How poetry, storytelling, and advocacy helped one writer reclaim her voice and speak for the silenced.
The podcast is on hiatus over the summer. New episodes will air on September 11, 2025, when I’ll share my interview with Ingrid Clayton about her new book on the fawning trauma response.
What does it mean to keep writing when your country collapses, your safety is at risk, and your voice is nearly silenced? In this powerful encore episode, Afghan poet and novelist Samman Akbarzada shares her journey from receiving 500 rejections to publishing Life is a Movie—only to flee the Taliban days before its release. Through poetry, advocacy, and storytelling, Samman shows us how writing can preserve identity, foster healing, and become an act of resistance and hope. This is such a special episode!
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Love this conversation!
What a remarkably wise and compassionate young woman. Talk about resilience! Thank you so much Lisa for introducing her to us. I look forward to reading her poetry.