Words That Walk Through Walls

An anthology of poems written to and by Ilhan Sami Çomak, a Kurdish writer and prisoner of conscience who has been held in a Turkish prison for more than thirty years. The words in this book have 'walked through walls' mainly thanks to Caroline Stockford, PEN Norway's Turkey Adviser, and Ipek Özel, Ilhan's McKenzie Friend who visits him in prison each month. Caroline wrote poems with Ilhan in a 'call and response manner' and then asked other poets to write for Ilhan. He replied to many of their poems with verses of his own, creating an extremely moving dialogue. In Caroline's words, 'Ilhan belongs back in the world, in a world he still dearly loves and longs for... We say free the poet!'