Poetry isn't as relevant in the Western world as it is in Afghanistan. And not many people make time for something that doesn't feel relevant.

The truth is, terrorism flourishes in places of injustice rather than in places of poverty.

The most dangerous thing I've ever encountered was a run-in with Boko Haram around 2007 in a small town in Nigeria. I got caught along with the photographer I was working with, the same one I worked with on the Afghanistan book, Seamus Murphy. We were caught in an attack by a mob after Friday prayers. And the level of violence was so extreme. It was more violent than any other mob violence I have ever seen.

Poetry is a popular genre in Afghanistan. If you turned on the radio, there would be a poetry program that would be as popular as The Real Housewives.

It's important to understand that violent Islam is only one face of violent religion.

News isn't designed to talk about daily life in its nuances, but poetry is.

I worked with two young women translators. One died and the other received a death threat from the Taliban.