The saying goes that actions speak louder than words, but sometimes words can be a call to action. And that was the case with the Boston Write-In, hosted by GrubStreet.
On Friday people of all backgrounds gathered on the steps of the Boston Public Library for an afternoon of writing and storytelling in support of recent immigrants and refugees. Two of those writers, Boyah J. Farah andGazmend Kapllaniparticipated in the event. They took time out from the write-in to sit down with Andrea Cabral and Marcela Garcia to discuss what writing-- and the write-in --means to them.
Boyah J. Farah is a refugee turned writer from Somalia whose works of nonfiction have been featured in The Guardian, Harvard Transition, Grub Daily, and Truthdig. A Judy Layzer Fellow, he is currently taking the Memoir Incubator at GrubStreet Creative Writing. Gazmend Kapllani is an Albanian-born novelist, currently Teaching at Emerson College. His novels explore totalitarianism, immigration, borders and Balkan history.
To hear their conversation click on the audio player above.
