Mark your calendars for Thursday, November 21, 2024 at 7 p.m! Join us at the Gloucester Unitarian Universalist Church (10 Church Street, Gloucester, Mass) for a reading and discussion with author Dr. Sima Samar.

The Gloucester Writers Center will host Dr. Sima Samar, former Minister of Women's Affairs of Afghanistan,for a reading of her new book, the impassioned memoir, OUTSPOKEN: My Fight for Freedom & Human Rights in Afghanistan. Local writer and community activist Nicole Richon-Schoel will moderate the event.

Dr. Samar is a renowned human rights advocate for the world’s under-represented and marginalized groups such as women, children, and minorities. A Nobel Peace Prize nominee, Samar has dedicated her life to public service, humanitarian work, and women’s empowerment. Her Shuhada Organization provides education and healthcare in Afghanistan and Pakistan, with a focus on women and girls. Sima Samar’s wide-ranging experiences in her home country and the world have given her inside access to the collusion and corruption of Afghanistan leaders, and the hijacking of religion. With stories that are poignant and terrifying, inspiring as well as disheartening, Sima provides an unparalleled view of Afghanistan’s past and its present. She now makes Boston’s North Shore her home.

“I have three strikes against me. I’m a woman, I speak out for women, and I’m Hazara, the most persecuted ethnic group in Afghanistan.”

Moderator: Nicole Richon-Schoel is a psychotherapist in private practice. She has worked for many years with at- risk populations, including pregnant and parenting teens, homeless families and survivors of domestic violence.

This event is free and open to the public. Donations are warmly appreciated.

For more information, https://www.gloucesterwriters.org/

The Bookstore will have copies of the book for sale at the event! Preorders always appreciated. Let us know if you are not able to attend but would still like a signed copy.