Events

Upcoming Event

Voices of Freedom reading series

Date: October 19, 2026

Time: 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm

Where: Emmanuel College Chapel (3rd floor, 75 Queen’s Park Cres E.)

$10 for general public, free to PEN members

An evening of inspiration and storytelling from the PEN Writers in Exile.

For this chapter of our ongoing reading series, we’re in a new location: the Emmanuel College Chapel at the University of Toronto. This is a wheelchair accessible space.

Join us in celebrating the strength and resilience of these courageous voices, and hear their words shed light on the complexities of life in exile.

This time you’ll hear from Basima Takrouri, Musa Zafar, and Sabiha Ali Naderi.

TICKETS

Tickets are $10 for the general public, and free to PEN members and members of the Writers in Exile.

GET TICKETS

FEATURED SPEAKERS

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Sabiha Ali Naderi

Sabiha Ali Naderi is an Afghan social worker, educator and a novice writer. Raised in Pakistan, India and Afghanistan, Sabiha has spent most of her life as the newcomer and the outsider. After moving back to Afghanistan as an adult, it was when the Taliban took over that Sabiha had to flee her homeland for the third time in the span of 25 years. Being a refugee was the main reason she found refuge in books and showed an interest in writing at an early age. In all the places she lived, Sabiha consistently kept teaching ESL and has worked with organizations that advocate for international students, immigrants, and mental health of immigrants. Currently, Sabiha has started a new life again. She is a part-time social worker and a full-time student at the University of Toronto where she aims to double major in English and Psychology.

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Basima Takrouri

Basima Takrouri is a Palestinian writer and poet based in Ontario, Canada. She holds a master’s degree in Communications and Public Relations from Lasell University and is pursuing a PhD in Humanities at York University. She has published six books since 2001, including her recent novel, The Imam: Tale of the Haunted Roads, published in English translation by LUMA Publishing in 2026. Her work has appeared in international anthologies, and she has participated in literary festivals and conferences worldwide.

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Musa Zafar

Musa Zafar is a writer and an advocate for human rights and education, originally from Afghanistan and now based in Canada. He started his writing career as a columnist with the Daily Open Society in Kabul 2013. From 2014 to 2017, he was a columnist and later the Editor of the satire page for the Daily 8 am. Musa’s writings reached Persian-speaking audiences in Iran after his columns and writings were published by Halazoon Magazine and 3dots Magazine, run by secular Iranians. He published his first book in 2024 in Toronto. Musa has a master’s degree in political science. He has worked for the Human Rights Commission in Afghanistan and Fiji, as well as for the United Nations office in Afghanistan and South Sudan. He advocates for girls’ right to education and volunteers with the Daricha School, a home-based school for girls in Afghanistan.

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Janielle Browne (Moderator and Host)

Janielle Browne is a 29-year-old Vincentian writer, educator and scholar, who has had poetry and short stories published in multiple magazines, most recently QWERTY (2025). A professional yapper, Janielle has attained a BA in Literatures in English with History, Postgraduate Diploma in Education, and MA in Creative Writing at UofT

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