Portuguese American Journal

Portuguese American Journal

Featured Stories
1976-2026 | Azores celebrate 50 Years of Constitutional Autonomy Book | Bag of Kisses | By Melanie Pereira April 25th |  “Dia da Liberdade” celebrated nationwide and across the diaspora Community | Justice Department moves to revoke citizenship for naturalized immigrants Honor | Writer João Pedro Vala recipient of the PEN/O. Henry Award
 

1976-2026 | Azores celebrate 50 Years of Constitutional Autonomy – Azores 

The Autonomous Region of the Azores is preparing for a historic year of celebrations in 2026 to mark the 50th anniversary of its Constitutional Autonomy. This milestone underscores five decades of self-governance, regional identity, and transatlantic connection.  The commemorations will culminate on September 8, 2026, marking the formal implementation of autonomy under the Constitution of […]

Book | Bag of Kisses | By Melanie Pereira – Editor’s Note

For a little girl whose daddy is a fisherman in the #1 fishing port in the world, goodbyes are never easy. But before he leaves for sea, her parents share a special secret―a magical bag of kisses that keeps their love close, no matter how far the waves carry him. As the days pass and […]

April 25th |  “Dia da Liberdade” celebrated nationwide and across the diaspora – Portugal

The Portuguese nation commemorates today the 52nd anniversary of the Carnation Revolution transition to democracy, with a nationwide program of official ceremonies, public demonstrations, and cultural events. The celebrations expanded abroad, connecting the country to its global diaspora, particularly in the United States. At the center of the national commemorations will be the traditional formal […]

Community | Justice Department moves to revoke citizenship for naturalized immigrants – Washington, D.C.

The U.S. Department of Justice is moving to accelerate efforts to revoke the citizenship of certain naturalized Americans, targeting cases where individuals are suspected of having obtained citizenship through fraud or misrepresentation. Citizenship is considered one of the most secure legal statuses in the United States. Therefore, the overall impact of such measures is likely […]

Honor | Writer João Pedro Vala recipient of the PEN/O. Henry Award – New York, NY

Portuguese writer João Pedro Vala has been awarded a prestigious PEN/O. Henry Award for his short story “Inês,” a recognition widely regarded as one of the highest honors in English-language short fiction. The first Portuguese author to receive that distinction, his short story ‘Inês’ was selected for inclusion in the PEN/O. Henry Prize Stories anthology. […]

Book: ‘The Ethiopian Adal War: The Conquest of Abyssinia’ by Jeffrey M. Shaw – Editor’s Note

26 August 2021

In 1529, an army from the Sultanate of Adal in modern-day Somalia invaded neighboring Ethiopia. For the next fourteen years, the conflict ravaged Ethiopia, planting the seeds of enmity and mistrust in the Horn of Africa that resonate to this day.  The Ethiopian-Adal War (1529-1543): The Conquest of Abyssinia brings sixteenth-century Arab, Portuguese, and Ethiopian primary source material […]

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Posted in Books, Featured, Heritage, People, Portugal, World

Audrey Azoulay: Azores stand out for its nature and cultural heritage – UNESCO

25 August 2021

The UNESCO Director-General, Audrey Azoulay, was on a private visit to the Azores, where she toured places classified by UNESCO on São Miguel, Flores and Pico, namely the Gruta do Carvão, the Flores UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, the wine-growing landscape and the Gruta das Torres on Pico. The Central Zone of the Town of Angra do […]

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Posted in Azores, Featured, Flores, Heritage, People, Pico, São Miguel, Terceira, Travel, World

Honor: Lara Gularte named Poet Laureate – El Dorado County, CA

25 August 2021

Portuguese American Lara Gulart named Poet Laureate 2021-2023, an honor bestowed on a noted local poet to honor his or her body of work and to celebrate poetry as an art form. El Dorado County, officially the County of El Dorado, is a county in the state of California. With roots in the Azores, with […]

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Posted in Arts&Culture, Awards, Azores, Books, Community, Faial, Featured, Flores, Interviews, People, Pico

Book: ‘Between the Sea and Sky’ by Donna M. Binkiewicz – Editor’s Note

24 August 2021

Spurred on by a family tragedy, Margarida takes a leap of faith with her children to sail from the Azores and begin a new life in Upcountry Maui. The family becomes part of a wave of immigrants who labor in Hawaii’s sugar plantations in the 1880s. Witness to the forces of business expansion and political […]

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Posted in Azores, Books, Community, Featured, Heritage, People

Book: ‘The First World Empire: Portugal, War and Military Revolution’ – Editor’s Note

22 August 2021

This book offers a comprehensive overview of the early modern military history of Portugal and its possessions in Africa, the Americas, and Asia from the perspective of the military revolution historiographical debate. The existence of a military revolution in the early modern period has been much debated in international historiography, and this volume fills a […]

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Posted in Angola, Books, Brazil, Cape Verde, Damão, Diu, East Timor, Featured, Goa, Guiné-Bissau, Heritage, Macau, Mozambique, People, Portugal, São Tomé and Prince, World

Alagoas Brancas: Fight rages on saving an Algarve wetland – by Len Port

20 August 2021

By Len Port Uncertainty as to when an appeal court in Lisbon will make a decision on an Algarve municipal council’s refusal to order a developer to make an environmental impact study is exacerbating frustrations among campaigners determined to save the wetland site known as Alagoas Brancas. The campaigners are asking supporters for donations to […]

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Posted in Featured, Heritage, Organizations, People, Portugal