July 12th forum announcement

Dear Poetry Aficionados,

Poetry & Poets in Rags blog


Here is a letter from Liao Yiwu from earlier this year:

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April 1, 2011

Friends:

I originally planned to leave for the United States on April 4 in order to make a publicity tour for my book God is Red which will be published in English translation by Harper Collins and for my book The Corpse Walker which was published by Random House.

Unexpectedly, on March 28th, the police issued an order forbidding me to leave China.

I had originally planned to travel to San Francisco, Chicago, Boston, New York, Washington and other cities and to give lectures, readings and musical performances at Harvard, Yale and other universities as well as participate in the New York Literary Festival where I was to make a speech and perform, and to have a dialogue with writers from around the world on the theme "Contemporary Writer and Bearing Witness to History". Now all this has been canceled.

My new book is also going to be published in Australia. My plan to travel from the United States to Australia has also been canceled.

Ever since my return from Germany last year, I have been closely monitored. The police have "invited me to drink tea" many times. My writing has been repeatedly interrupted.

I have once again been forbidden to travel abroad for national security reasons.

Over the last ten or so years I have strived to get the right to travel abroad 16 times. I succeeded once and failed 15 times.

Thank you all for your concern for me over the years.

Liao Yiwu

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He is now in Germany. That's our first story in News at Eleven.

Poetry & Poets in Rags has more links to poetry and stories on poets and poetry than usual, so I will let you get to your reading, leaving the rest to your discovery.

Thanks for clicking in.

Yours,
Rus

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