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“My Pen Is the Wing of a Bird” is an anthology of short stories by 18 Afghan women, originally written in Pashto and Dari. They were published after the Taliban’s return to power in 2021. Since then, women in Afghanistan have faced not only severe restrictions on education, work, and public life but also persecution for resisting these restrictions. For this reason, the collection was published anonymously to protect its authors, and its very existence stands as an act of resilience.

Each story follows characters who grapple with loss, grief, friendship, identity, and desires that reach beyond their circumstances, all imagined through the voices of Afghan women. The writing carries an intimacy that draws the reader into lives usually hidden behind headlines. In doing so, the collection humanizes Afghan women in ways news coverage rarely does. It shows not only the hardship that they face but also the resilience and dignity that shape their identities.

One of the most valuable aspects of the book is how it spans generations. It offers insight into the rarely heard voices of Afghan women across ages, revealing how war, tradition, and daily restrictions weigh differently on the young and the old. In the story “The Red Boots,” a young girl longs for shoes that are too tight to wear but beautiful to her because she chose them herself. In “Falling from the Summit of Dreams,” an older woman holds on to her dignity and her right to desire, even as those around her insist that a woman’s worth lies only in youth and obedience.

Together, these stories reveal both the ordinary and extraordinary struggles of Afghan women’s lives. While the themes of loss, love, and identity may feel familiar to readers everywhere, they are marked here by the brutality of circumstances unique to being a woman in Afghanistan. Every story will leave you with something lasting, from sorrow to admiration, as resilience and pain appear side by side in unforgettable ways. One story that stayed with me was “Blossom,” inspired by the true events of a school bombing, where a young girl loses her closest friend and chooses to honor her by continuing the fight for women’s education. 

You can find the book on the Untold Narratives website, an organization that supports marginalized writers and works to amplify their voices worldwide.

“My Pen Is the Wing of a Bird” earns 4.5 out of 5 Spinnaker sails.

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