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Joshua L. Freeman

@jlfreeman.bsky.social
164 followers 63 following 15 posts

Assistant Professor of Comparative Literature at Brown. Author, The Poetry of Power: Uyghur National Culture in Twentieth-Century China (forthcoming, Columbia UP). Translator, Waiting to Be Arrested at Night (Tahir Hamut Izgil, Penguin Press).

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Joshua L. Freeman @jlfreeman.bsky.social · 12/02/2026
uyghurpost.com/joshua-friym...
uyghurpost.com
جوشۇا فرىيمېن «كېچىدە تۇتقۇن قىلىنىشنى كۈتۈش» ناملىق ئەسەرنىڭ تەرجىمىسى ئۈچۈن 2026-يىللىق پەترىك د. ھەنىن مۇكاپاتىغا ئېرىشتى | ئۇيغۇر پوچتىسى
ۋاشىنگتون – ئامېرىكا ئاسىيا تەتقىقات جەمئىيىتى (AAS) 2026-يىللىق تەرجىمە ۋە ئەدەبىيات مۇكاپاتلىرىنىڭ نەتىجىسىنى ئېلان قىلدى. بروۋىن ئۇنىۋېرسىتېتىنىڭ دوتسېنتى،
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David Porter @dcporter.bsky.social · 11/02/2026
Congratulations to all the winners, especially my 師弟 @jlfreeman.bsky.social for his fantastic Hanan-Prize winning translation of Tahir Hamut Izgil's Waiting to Be Arrested at Night, a really essential read for anyone who wants to understand what Uyghurs have experienced in recent years
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David Porter @dcporter.bsky.social · 11/02/2026
Really thrilled that Slaves of the Emperor has been awarded an Honorable Mention for the Levenson Prize in Chinese Studies (pre-1900) by @asianstudies.org! www.asianstudies.org/aas-2026-pri...
asianstudies.org
AAS 2026 Prizes - Association for Asian Studies
The AAS is pleased to announce the winners of this year’s prize competitions and offer congratulations to all honorees. Please join us at the Awards Ceremony during the AAS 2026 Annual Conference in V...
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Nick Admussen @nadmussen.bsky.social · 13/08/2025
Little tiny me in that grid down there, also very excited to find @jlfreeman.bsky.social!
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Words Without Borders & WWB Campus @wwborders.bsky.social · 21/07/2025
This week, we’re debuting a new issue of multilingual writing from the US. This poem by Uyghur writer Tahir Hamut Izgil (tr. @jlfreeman.bsky.social ) takes a close look at the intersection of environmental extraction and human exploitation. Read it here: wordswithoutborders.org/read/article...
A pile of felled trees with the quote “But now/ they were excited:/ the trees had no idea they would be cut/none of the birds knew either” and the text “Fifty States, Many Languages: Writing from the US: ‘Lumberjacks’ By Tahir Hamut Izgil, translated from Uyghur by Joshua L. Freeman”
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Joshua L. Freeman @jlfreeman.bsky.social · 28/05/2025
"While the firms that rejected a deal and fought back have now notched a string of decisive wins in court, others that sought to appease Mr. Trump have seen high-profile resignations and internal discord." www.nytimes.com/2025/05/27/u...
nytimes.com
Trump Loses Another Battle in His War Against Elite Law Firms
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eileen chengyin chow @chowleen.bsky.social · 23/05/2025
A generation before me, my parents also came to the U.S. for higher ed (they went back to Taiwan after getting their doctorates). We are among legions who came and continue to come to the U.S. for its stellar higher education. Excruciating as a new American watching this country self-destruct.
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James Fallows @jfallows.bsky.social · 24/05/2025
Proud of the stand @harvard.edu is making. Proud of the way @theharvardcrimson.bsky.social has been reporting it. Alum of both, giving money to both. These famously privileged institutions are leading the fight for all of us. Respect. www.thecrimson.com/article/2025...
thecrimson.com
Judge Temporarily Blocks Trump Admin From Revoking Harvard’s Ability To Enroll International Students | News | The Harvard Crimson
A federal judge granted a temporary restraining order to Harvard in its suit to block the Trump administration’s efforts to revoke its authorization to enroll international students.
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Bruce Springsteen @brucespringsteen.net · 15/05/2025
Tonight, Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band opened their Land of Hope & Dreams Tour. Bruce launched this run of shows with three statements about the situation in the United States, with comments preceding his songs Land of Hope and Dreams, House of a Thousand Guitars and My City of Ruins.
youtu.be
Land of Hope and Dreams
YouTube video by Bruce Springsteen
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James Fallows @jfallows.bsky.social · 05/05/2025
Admiration to @anntelnaes.bsky.social Beyond her artistic and intellectual talent, she has moral and civic courage. One of the very first to Stand Up. (Resigning from WaPo after ed-page editor, himself later fired by Bezos, censored one of her cartoons. anntelnaes.substack.com/p/why-im-qui... )
anntelnaes.substack.com
Why I'm quitting the Washington Post
Democracy can't function without a free press
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Words Without Borders & WWB Campus @wwborders.bsky.social · 05/05/2025
For most of our existence, WWB has received funding from the NEA. Now, like many others, we must chart a path forward without it. But our readers still deserve access to dazzling global writing. Please donate or share our work to support our mission of bringing the world close through literature.
The following text, above a green circle reading "swipe" connected to the WWB logo through a line: 

"Literature is how we create the world we want to live in. But that world is threatened by the administration's cuts to the NEA and the rich arts landscape it once supported. And the work we do to uplift bold, innovative global writing is newly at risk."The following text, above a green circle reading "swipe" connected to the WWB logo through a line: 

"Like many other arts organizations across the country, we learned on Friday night that our 2025 NEA grant has been terminated because our work “no longer aligns” with the administration’s priorities.

Moving forward, we cannot rely on funding that has sustained our magazine and our programs for well over a decade. Yet despite these challenges, we stand firm in our mission to amplify global literary voices and invite readers to explore a wider world through literature."The following text, above a green circle reading "swipe" connected to the WWB logo through a line: 

"If you, like us, believe in the power of global stories, here’s what you can do in this destabilizing moment to support WWB and our vision of literature that embraces global interconnectedness:"A set of green text boxes organized above the social media logos for Facebook, Bluesky, Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn, as well as a black button with white text reading "wordswithoutborders.org" and "wwb-campus.org". Two images, one of a teacher instructing students in a classroom and one of a selfie of smiling folks at a WWB event, are interspersed with the text boxes. The boxes contain calls-to-action to support WWB, including to donate, to subscribe to newsletters, to joine WWB Campus for free, to meet us at our free public events, and to follow us on social media and share our posts.
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"Online Rent-a-Sage" Bret Devereaux @bretdevereaux.bsky.social · 04/05/2025
media.tenor.com
a man in a helmet with the words " this is the way " behind him
Alt: a man in a helmet with the words " this is the way " behind him
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Emily Feng @emilyzfeng.bsky.social · 02/05/2025
Only one member of the broadcaster’s vaunted Uyghur language service remains.
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Randall Munroe @xkcd.com · 25/04/2025
PhD Timeline xkcd.com/3081
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Eric Schluessel @ericschluessel.bsky.social · 22/04/2025
This summer, June 7-August 7, I'll be running an online course in "Introduction to Chaghatay!" 12 meetings. $280 for the whole thing. Open access textbook + videos to walk you through grammar and readings. Fees will support GW's Uyghur Studies Initiative. Apply here! docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
docs.google.com
Introduction to Chaghatay, Summer 2025
This is an application form for the not-for-credit summer course in introductory Chaghatay language to be held through the Sigur Center for Asian Studies at the George Washington University in Summer ...
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Joshua L. Freeman @jlfreeman.bsky.social · 15/04/2025
Very proud of Harvard in this moment. Well done, President Garber. www.harvard.edu/president/ne...
harvard.edu
The Promise of American Higher Education
No government—regardless of which party is in power—should dictate what private universities can teach, whom they can admit and hire, and which areas of study and inquiry they can pursue
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Joshua L. Freeman @jlfreeman.bsky.social · 14/04/2025
www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...
newyorker.com
Why Catullus Continues to Seduce Us
Imbuing his work with a volatile mix of tenderness, aggression, sophistication, and obscenity, the Roman poet left a record of a divided and fascinating self.
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Rory Truex @rorytruex.bsky.social · 11/04/2025
In Xu Zhiyong's writing, there is a notion that citizenship is a two way street. It entails the rights of democracy and the responsibility to protect it. I did some thinking this week on being a citizen in this moment. Please share if you find useful. rorytruex.substack.com/p/what-do-i-...
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Adam Dalva @adamdalva.bsky.social · 07/04/2025
I am very moved that the board of the National Book Critics Circle has chosen me to serve as our next President. It’s an incredible group at @bookcritics.bsky.social and I can't wait to get to work with them.
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Emily Feng @emilyzfeng.bsky.social · 08/04/2025
One of the best jobs in the world is up for grabs: @npr.org is hiring for a China correspondent job-boards.greenhouse.io/nationalpubl...
job-boards.greenhouse.io
China Correspondent
International - Remote
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Yen-han Chen 陳彥翰 🇹🇼🇺🇸🇺🇦 @chen-yenhan.bsky.social · 06/04/2025
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Joshua L. Freeman @jlfreeman.bsky.social · 01/03/2025
After Trump and Vance's disgraceful performance today, I think we could use a reminder of what true leadership looks like. Zelensky's defiant, eloquent speech on the eve of the war remains a remarkable example. www.theguardian.com/world/video/...
theguardian.com
'We will defend ourselves' from Russia, says Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelenskiy in speech– video
'When you attack us, you will see our faces, not our backs', says Ukrainian leader to Russia leadership
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Hannah Theaker @htheaker.bsky.social · 27/02/2025
Utterly appalled by this. Non-refoulement is at the heart of international refugee standards. My heart goes out to those deported, their families, and the Uyghur diaspora. Such a blatant transgression of a core humanitarian principle is a chilling precedent for refugee communities worldwide.
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Joshua L. Freeman @jlfreeman.bsky.social · 27/02/2025
If Bezos is so worried @washingtonpost.com coverage will cause Trump to harm his interests, why not donate WaPo to a trust? WaPo's financial value is a tiny fraction of Bezos's $$$ but its value to our society is huge & this would salvage a bit of Bezos's dignity. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
theguardian.com
Jeff Bezos is muzzling the Washington Post’s opinion section. That’s a death knell | Margaret Sullivan
‘I couldn’t be more sad and disgusted,’ says former top editor Martin Baron
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Paul Krugman @pkrugman.bsky.social · 17/02/2025
Government does important work — but not if DOGE can prevent it paulkrugman.substack.com/p/our-govern...
paulkrugman.substack.com
Our Government Is Experiencing a Rapid Unscheduled Disassembly
Musk is moving fast and breaking important things
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Xin Wen @xinwen.bsky.social · 13/02/2025
Thrilled to learn that my book The King's Road had been awarded this year's Levenson Prize (pre-1900 category)! I am very happy and extremely humbled by this recognition.
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Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg @theradr.bsky.social · 13/02/2025
Proud to be one of the 350 rabbis signing this statement — an ad in the NYT today and a declaration of our values. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025... For more—and to sign— go to saynotoethniccleansing.org
Jewish people say NO to ethnic cleansing
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James Fallows @jfallows.bsky.social · 13/02/2025
For Vichy/Quisling Repubs in House + Sen, no humiliation is too deep, if threat is losing the job See: L Graham, S Collins, J Ernst, etc I've been fired. Most people have been fired. Losing a job is NOT THAT BAD. Especially for people who'll still be rich www.nytimes.com/2025/02/13/n... Contrast:
nytimes.com
Danielle Sassoon, Manhattan Federal Prosecutor, Quits After Adams Case Is Ordered Dropped
Danielle R. Sassoon, the interim U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, quit after the Justice Department told her to withdraw corruption charges against Mayor Eric Adams.
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Joshua L. Freeman @jlfreeman.bsky.social · 13/02/2025
Probably the best summary I've seen of the dangers American democracy now faces, and of the tasks and challenges awaiting those who want to prevent authoritarian entrenchment. www.foreignaffairs.com/united-state...
foreignaffairs.com
The Path to American Authoritarianism
What comes after democratic breakdown.
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James Fallows @jfallows.bsky.social · 12/02/2025
If you're in district w/ GOP rep, *call or write*—202-224-3121 main Capitol #, but just go to individ web site—and say you want your elected rep to stand up for *Congress* as co-equal branch, to determine spending, etc They take this seriously. (For each person who calls, 10x are thinking that.)
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Words Without Borders & WWB Campus @wwborders.bsky.social · 10/02/2025
"I ought to take a nap and leave the many meanings of a single word lying on my table" If you love this poem, you can read a memoir excerpt from this same writer/translator pair on WWB: wordswithoutborders.org/read/article...
wordswithoutborders.org
"The Radio" by Tahir Hamut Izgil - Words Without Borders
Uyghur poet Tahir Hamut Izgil's memoir, Waiting to be Arrested at Night, is out now from Penguin Press. In this excerpt, the author recalls his childhood introduction to the Chinese government's ban o...
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Jan Steyn @jsteyn.bsky.social · 10/02/2025
Do you know who should be the next Translator in Residence at the U of Iowa? Tell them to apply!
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David Porter @dcporter.bsky.social · 06/02/2025
The first review of Slaves of the Emperor has come out in JAS. Thanks to Yan Hon Michael Chung for the generous review of what he calls "a conceptual revolution of understanding the Eight Banners and the Qing rulership." read.dukeupress.edu/journal-of-a...?
read.dukeupress.edu
Slaves of the Emperor: Service, Privilege, and Status in the Qing Eight Banners
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Brendan O’Kane @bokane.org · 06/02/2025
“Fine Furs, Sleek Horses” (輕肥), Bai Juyi 白居易 (772-846)
Full of pride they fill the road, 
Horses and saddles glittering through the dust. 
I stop to ask a passerby who they are— 
Someone says they're from the imperial court. 
Vermillion tassels mean high ministers; 
the purple sashes, probably generals. 
Their horses streaming past like wind-borne clouds 
Descending on the regimental feast. 
Goblets brim over with the finest wine 
and the bounty of land and sea overspreads their tables.

They split open Dongting tangerines, 
Slice up Tianchi fish for a cold appetizer,
Without a care as they stuff their bellies,  
Growing merrier as the wine goes to their heads— 
Drought took the rice crop in Jiangnan this year.
In Quzhou the starving ate the dead.白居易 - 輕肥

意氣驕滿路,鞍馬光照塵。
借問何為者,人稱是內臣。
朱紱皆大夫,紫綬或將軍。
誇赴軍中宴,走馬去如雲。
尊罍溢九醞,水陸羅八珍。
果擘洞庭橘,膾切天池鱗。
食飽心自若,酒酣氣益振。
是歲江南旱,衢州人食人。
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Joshua L. Freeman @jlfreeman.bsky.social · 06/02/2025
Of all the destructive and cruel things the Trump-Musk administration has done so far, this must be near the top of the list. www.nytimes.com/2025/02/06/h...
nytimes.com
Dozens of Clinical Trials Have Been Frozen in Response to Trump’s USAID Order
The stop-work order on U.S.A.I.D.-funded research has left thousands of people with experimental drugs and devices in their bodies, with no access to monitoring or care.
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Words Without Borders & WWB Campus @wwborders.bsky.social · 03/02/2025
The 2/28 deadline for submissions is coming up, so make sure to get your applications in, early-career translators!
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Joshua L. Freeman @jlfreeman.bsky.social · 03/02/2025
The Trump administration has tapped Darren Beattie to handle public diplomacy at the State Department. This is an appalling choice for many reasons. One is that Beattie has spent the last few years alternately denying and cheering on China's repression of its #Uyghur community. 1/3
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Joshua L. Freeman @jlfreeman.bsky.social · 29/01/2025
Ekhmetjan Osman is one of the most influential figures in modern #Uyghur poetry. In this unforgettable poem, he pays tribute to those who influenced him. Thanks to @grantamag.bsky.social for publishing my translation! granta.com/ancestors/
granta.com
Ancestors | Ekhmetjan Osman | Granta
‘A cold star breeze, you pass through my eyelashes.’ A poem by Ekhmetjan Osman translated by Joshua L. Freeman.
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Tom Mazanec @tommazanec.bsky.social · 28/01/2025
Shao-yun Yang's critique of historians' habit of applying the label "cosmopolitan" to the first half of the Tang dynasty. Excellent reminder to all of us that you can't ignore the rest of the world even if you're only telling the history of one region or linguistic sphere. doi.org/10.1017/S002...
doi.org
Tang ‘cosmopolitanism': Towards a critical and holistic approach | Modern Asian Studies | Cambridge Core
Tang ‘cosmopolitanism': Towards a critical and holistic approach
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Nick Admussen @nadmussen.bsky.social · 27/01/2025
V. lucky to have been able to translate Zhang Zao poems with fellow Cornellian Yanting-Leah Li, because they are absolute. bangers. "In the Mirror" and "Drifting," from the brand-new _A Century of Modern Chinese Poetry_. The book is here: uwapress.uw.edu/book/9780295...
Text of the poem "In the Mirror" by Zhang Zao.Text of the poem "Drifting" by Zhang Zao.
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David Stroup @davidstroup.bsky.social · 24/01/2025
Very true. When I taught a course entitled “The Politics of Authoritarian States” (back when I was an ABD at OU) our first lecture was centered on this piece from @tompepinsky.com. As he notes “everyday authoritarianism is boring and tolerable.” tompepinsky.com/2017/01/06/e...
tompepinsky.com
Everyday Authoritarianism is Boring and Tolerable
Malaysia is a country that I know well, and whose political system I have studied closely for fifteen years. It is also a country whose political liberalization I have long awaited. Malaysia has a …
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Center for the Art of Translation (CAT) @catranslation.org · 23/01/2025
Emerging translators, this grant opportunity is for you! Applications due 2/28.
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Words Without Borders & WWB Campus @wwborders.bsky.social · 23/01/2025
Congrats to everyone on this shortlist—among them WWB contributors Elias Khoury, Humphrey Davies, László Krasznahorkai, Ottilie Mulzet, Judith Kiros, Kira Josefsson, Iman Mersal, and Robin Moger!
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Joshua L. Freeman @jlfreeman.bsky.social · 21/01/2025
Just published in @grantamag.bsky.social: "The Translator," a brief and striking poem by Tahir Hamut Izgil, in my English translation. To my knowledge, of all the exciting work Granta has published from many languages over many years, this is the first #Uyghur poem. granta.com/the-translat...
granta.com
The Translator | Tahir Hamut Izgil | Granta
‘I might walk endlessly’ A poem by Tahir Hamut Izgil, translated by Joshua L. Freeman.
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Martha Anne Toll @marthaannetoll.bsky.social · 17/01/2025
Grants for literary translators @wwborders.bsky.social wordswithoutborders.org/read/article...
wordswithoutborders.org
Words Without Borders Announces Third Annual Momentum Grant for Early-Career Translators - Words Without Borders
This grant aims to support early-career translators seeking to bring international work into the English-language marketplace.
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Moore Prize for Human Rights Writing @mooreprize.bsky.social · 08/01/2025
We are delighted to announce the winner of the #2024MoorePrize for #HumanRights Writing: Waiting to be Arrested at Night by Tahir Hamut Izgil (translated by Joshua L Freeman. Congratulations to Tahir and Joshua! #nonfiction #literaryprize #books #China #Uyghurs
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Yiming Ha @historianyha.bsky.social · 07/01/2025
Institute of History and Philology, Academia Sinica, is recruiting a researcher specializing in Ming-Qing history! Application instructors in the link below #🀄️📚 #sinology #sinologists #history #chinesehistory
www1.ihp.sinica.edu.tw
Full-Time Research Fellow Position in Ming-Qing History
1. Rank: Assistant Research Fellow, Associate Research Fellow or Research Fellow (positions roughly correspond to assistant professor, associate professor and professor at the university level in t...
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Emily Feng @emilyzfeng.bsky.social · 31/12/2024
So thrilling to see advance copies of my book out in the wild!! Launch date is this coming March www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/724947...
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David Stroup @davidstroup.bsky.social · 31/12/2024
There are so many things to say here: 1) It is unconscionable to deport asylum seekers— especially those who will face severe punishment if they are remanded back to countries they fled. This is also true of so so many cases beyond just the Hui people in NYC profiled here.
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