Jhon Sánchez

As a writer, I always feel deeply honored when I get to read a manuscript. It’s not only the opportunity to learn from a colleague, but also to enter an intimate, sacred space of the literary craft. It’s like stepping…

I’m attending the Broadway Bound Theatre Festival after speaking with playwright Alicia Foxworth about her piece Ghost Writer, an Abolitionist’s Tale. BBTF’s 2025 season spotlights four new musicals and eight original plays making their New York debut—works that champion “story,…

Ilhan Sami Çomak, the Kurdish poet, was recently honored with the Jack Hirschman Poetry Prize, presented by the Poets of Planet Network. This recognition not only celebrates the life and legacy of the renowned American poet Jack Hirschman but also…

The past ten days have been a blur of illness, transforming my life into a nonstop subway with just three stops: bed, bathroom, and kitchen, only to return to bed again. Sleep has been elusive—no position, whether sideways, overturned, or…

Last November, we received the news that İlhan Sami Çomak had finally been granted his freedom—a moment that took many of us by surprise. After 30 years of wrongful imprisonment, İlhan’s release marked the end of a long and arduous…

Presentation by Jhon Sánchez following the screening of Borderland | The Line Within. The documentary not only exposes the profitable business of immigration and its human cost, but weaves together the stories of immigrant heroines and heroes resisting and showing…

During Trump’s first term, one word characterized his immigration policies, and it wasn’t efficiency—it was cruelty. It was cruel to yank babies from their mothers’ arms and place children in cages. It was cruel to forbid a Muslim mother, married…

Ilham Sami Çomak is finally free after serving 30 years in prison. Accused of terrorism, his prosecution was declared illegal by the European Court of Human Rights. Despite this, Ilham’s appeals were repeatedly denied, and even his parole request was…

At this point, I don’t want to focus on who’s to blame for the tragic election of Donald Trump as President of the United States again. While politicians now debate how to realign their ideological platforms, the immigrant community must…

On August 21, 2024, the Parole Board denied the freedom of Ilham Sami Çomak who has dedicated his life to poetry, was jailed after confessing under torture to setting a fire during a protest in Turkey when he was 21…