Poems of Afghan Women

A new poetry collection connects Herat, Afghanistan, to Duluth, Minn., proving that poetry transcends geography and culture.

„Load Poems Like Guns,“ edited and translated by former Air Force officer Farzana Marie, is made up of poetry by eight young Afghan women from Herat. This ancient city on the western edge of Afghanistan near Iran has been the heart of literature and arts since the 1400s.

The collection is published by Jim Perlman’s Duluth-based Holy Cow! Press.

„Poetry is central to people’s lives in Afghanistan,“ Marie told an audience at St. Paul’s SubText bookstore recently. „Poetry thousands of years old is on people’s tongues and minds. Even illiterate people can recite vast amounts.“

Marie is passionate about this book because „access to the work of poets living and writing in Afghanistan is vital to a more complete understanding of contemporary literature.“ / twincities.com