Decades of conflicts and persecution have driven millions from their homes in all parts of the northeast African country of Sudan. Many thousands more have been enslaved as human spoils of war. Writers and surprise guests read alongside Sudanese refugees who recount their lives before their displacement, the reasons for their flight, and their hopes of someday returning home.
Panther Alier was born in the village of Kolnyang in South Sudan. Displaced from his home by civil war, he walked with many other young men-the so-called "Lost Boys"-across Sudan seeking safety in the refugee camps of Ethiopia and Kenya. Years later, he made his way to the United States, and now studies sustainable international development at Brandeis University. Craig Walzer, who edited and compiled Out of Exile: Narratives From the Abducted and Displaced People of Sudan has traveled extensively in Sudan, Kenya, and Egypt. He is working toward graduate degrees from Harvard Law School and the Kennedy School of Government.