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: ‘Sea Loves Me: Selected Stories’ by Mia Couto – Editor’s Note

04 May 2021

Known internationally for his novels, Neustadt Prize-winner Mia Couto first became famous for his short stories. Sea Loves Me includes sixty-four of his best, thirty-six of which appear in English for the first time. Covering the entire arc of Couto’s career, this collection displays the Mozambican author’s inventiveness, sensitivity, and social range with greater richness […]

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

How Free? The pressures on press freedom – by Len Port

03 May 2021

The United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres promotes World Press Freedom Day annually on 3rd May to raise awareness of the fundamental importance of press freedom and remind governments of their duty to respect and uphold the right to freedom of expression enshrined under the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights. “Journalists and media workers are […]

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

Frank Ferreira: Legally challenging Portugal’s electoral system – Interview

23 April 2021

By Carolina Matos, Editor Frank Ferreira is a proud Portuguese American, with dual citizenship, who believes that Portugal’s (including the Açores and Madeira) current electoral system is impractical, injurious, unfair, discriminatory, and unconstitutional for the Portuguese living abroad. In short, what we have is an abridgement of constitutional rights. Ferreira also believes that the solution […]

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Posted in Community, Featured, Heritage, Interviews, Organizations, People, Politics, Portugal, World

Book: ‘Pessoa: A Biography’ by Richard Zenith – Editor’s Note

23 April 2021

Like Richard Ellmann’s James Joyce, Richard Zenith’s Pessoa immortalizes the life of one of the twentieth century’s greatest writers. Eighty-five years after his wrenching death in a cramped Lisbon apartment, where he left more than 25,000 manuscript sheets in a wooden trunk, Fernando Pessoa (1888–1935) remains one of the most enigmatic and underappreciated poets of the twentieth century. Celebrated […]

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Posted in Arts&Culture, Books, Featured, Heritage, People, Portugal, World

COVID’19: Azores appeal for emergency help within the US community – Portugal   

17 April 2021

The Government of Portugal has declined to support the Government of the Azores in procuring emergency COVID’19 vaccines in the United States, by refusing to invoke the Cooperation and Defense Agreement between the Portuguese Government and the United States, to supply vaccines for the underserved Azorean population. “We must effectively and quickly immunize the population […]

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Posted in Azores, Community, Featured, Heritage, Organizations, People, Politics, Portugal

Memoir (II): How I Found my Portuguese Family – By Diogo Teixeira

16 April 2021

I had an aunt in Portugal I had never met. She was my father’s only sibling, older than he, about 70, and lived in Vale de Cambra, my father’s hometown about 50 km southeast of Porto. She was married, had three grown daughters, and one of them still ran the family business, Farmácia Teixeira da […]

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Posted in Community, Featured, Heritage, People, Portugal, Travel, World