The power of the voice in rap is about the expression of truth, rather than the expression of some kind of artifice. Landays, they're about love and pleasure and oppression and levels of oppression within a family. And because of… — Eliza Griswold Copy Share Image
If we were to see Western landay poems, we'd see them out of disenfranchised populations, maybe out of the legacy of slavery. Spirituals, rap music - that would be the space we'd find American landays in. — Eliza Griswold Copy Share Image
Speculation is a fool's game, but I've seen many political projections that look like the Taliban could hold most of the country, and possibly… — Eliza Griswold Copy Share Image
If we think about folk forms, they belong to disenfranchised people, people who have not been allowed access to the poetry of literature or the leisure time that comes with the pursuit of poetry. Instead, this is ceremony. This is a highly charged way to create a sacred space that isn't necessarily about God, but is about human experience at… — Eliza Griswold Copy Share
I can't imagine how Afghanistan's fall isn't going to be ten times faster than Iraq's. — Eliza Griswold Copy Share Image
The most dangerous thing I've ever encountered was a run-in with Boko Haram around 2007 in a small town in Nigeria. I got caught… — Eliza Griswold Copy Share Image
Poetry is a popular genre in Afghanistan. If you turned on the radio, there would be a poetry program that would be as popular… — Eliza Griswold Copy Share Image
We know Jesus taught that if someone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to the left. We know that Mohammed was sacked from… — Eliza Griswold Copy Share Image
Seeing the Afghan women in their burqas, it's easy to say, "Well, they're not as fully aware as I am, so why do I… — Eliza Griswold Copy Share Image
One of the things about landays is that they thrive in a modern context. Early on I went to this incredible Pashtun novelist, Mustafa… — Eliza Griswold Copy Share Image
Poetry isn't as relevant in the Western world as it is in Afghanistan. And not many people make time for something that doesn't feel… — Eliza Griswold Copy Share Image
In most of the world, poetry has such a different reputation than it does in Western culture. Poetry is a popular genre in Afghanistan.… — Eliza Griswold Copy Share Image
We know what war means, and we know what poverty means. We need to develop a better model for reaching out to the world… — Eliza Griswold Copy Share Image
I think most good poetry is about suffering; I think that's what underlies the love in these landays pieces - suffering and longing. — Eliza Griswold Copy Share Image
