How Music Became Her Life
Wu Man was just 16 when she attended a master class led by the celebrated violinist Isaac Stern. The room at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing
Author: Elizabeth Mehren
Gaza Is Full of Dreams
Living in Gaza — one of the most dangerous places on earth — the Al Ghussein family learned years ago that where there is smoke,
It’s All a Matter of Perspective
His left arm lay dangling from his body. The angle was alarming–entirely unnatural. His midsection was in shreds, ripped apart by Serbian shrapnel that had punctured
Starting Over—and Over and Over Again
The Japanese phrase Ikoi No Kai translates in English to “the gathering place.” It could also mean a haven, a welcoming spot where people gather for fellowship.
A Life Shaped by War
Tim Tran is quite the jokester. “Old professors never die,” he told an otherwise serious meeting at Pacific University in Forest Grove, Oregon.
A Foothold On Two Continents
A Foothold On Two Continents He is a husband, a father and a dedicated Amazon employee. But Rudwan Dawod is also an impassioned freedom fighter,
Fleeing Hatred, Finding Home
The sanctuary of the First United Methodist Church in Southwest Portland is a cavernous space, and on Aug. 16, 1958, the pews bulged as Evelyn Diamant
Standing Firm Against Persecution
For as long as she can remember, her Asian features had made Hadia Sadiqi a target for ostracism in her native Afghanistan. Anyone who saw her knew instantly
And The Quartet Played On
“Outside the monster raged with flaming nostrils. But inside there was tranquility. The melancholy notes of Albinoni’s adagio drifted into every corner of the room,
Tears for the Country He Left
In a small town in the northwest part of Cambodia called Chongkal, the 5-year-old boy could not cry. His father had been taken by Khmer Rouge soldiers, bound for
Grandma Jessie’s Scottish Shortbread
My grandmother, Jessie King, was born in 1889 in a house on Holburn Street in Aberdeen, Scotland. Jessie was one of 13 children, 11 of whom survived childhood.
A Doctor with No Cure for His Country
The rigid, highly competitive public education system of Syria sent Hisham Amin Bismar into engineering. Leaving his country and then watching it
A Career Wrapped in Banana Leaves
The first thing to know about Phet Schwader is that his first name is pronounced “Pet.” Unless it marks the start of a word, the letter “H” is typically
Leaving a Land of Chaos
Toys are everywhere in the small apartment in Vancouver, Washington. A sheet of paper posted at a child’s eye level shows the first, impressive attempts of a
Abdi Nor Iftin: Call Him American
Abdi Nor Iftin knew just what America would look like. It would look like a giant New York City. Tall, tall buildings would soar to the sky. Humans would scurry