Poems from Guantanamo: The Detainees Speak

The story behind a book of poetry written by Guantanamo detainees could be as compelling as the poems themselves.

Prisoners, denied pens and paper, wrote some of the poems by scratching
verses onto foam cups with pebbles. Other poems were translated into
English by linguists with security clearances but no literary
credentials.

"It was a long and draining project," said Marc Falkoff, a law professor who represents 18 detainees.

The University of Iowa Press will release "Poems From Guantanamo: The
Detainees Speak" on Aug. 15. The volume, featuring 22 poems by 17
detainees, will be only the second English-language book written by
Guantanamo prisoners.

The compilation emanated from letters
written by prisoners to Falkoff, a law professor at Northern Illinois
University who represents one Pakistani and 17 Yemeni detainees. Last
year, he received a letter written in verse, prompting him to check
with other lawyers and discover that many Guantanamo prisoners were
writing poetry.

From The Toronto Star.

Also Poet Laureate Robert Pinsky gave his opinion about the poems.