Voices of Protest offers unique events at the intersection of arts and activism. Writers from around the globe who are working in or visiting Chicago, including those who have inherited diasporic legacies from earlier generations, share work and reflections on the political situations that threaten free expression, in addition to the safety and well being, of artists everywhere.

By featuring work that speaks out against, or has itself been subject to, censorship and other types of suppression, Voices of Protest emphasizes the importance of writing as a form of resistance and a means of establishing solidarity with oppressed and persecuted people anywhere. In the process, it highlights how refugees and other immigrants, and the oppressive policies that have brought so many here, have shaped the political and literary landscape of Chicago.