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: ‘It’s Best Not to Interrupt Her Experiments’ – Editor’s Note

13 February 2016

It’s Best Not to Interrupt Her Experiments consists of a series of poems featuring women — some fictional, some nonfictional. There are bounty hunters, Battle Bots champs, werewolves, homunculi, escape artists, archers, and CIA bagwomen. Even Lucy, now an adult, attempts to come to terms with her systematic torturing of her childhood pal, Charlie Brown, […]

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Posted in Arts&Culture, Azores, Books, Community, Featured, Heritage, People, World

Parliament: Abortion laws liberalized and same sex couples adoption rights granted – Portugal

13 February 2016

The Portuguese Parliament, ruled by a Socialist-Communist majority coalition led by Prime Minister António Costa, has further liberalized abortion laws and granted same-sex couples the right to adopt children. Overturning a veto by President Aníbal Cavaco Silva last month, the new ruling allows for same sex couples to adopt children and removes the mandatory requirement […]

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

Travel: Lisbon renames international airport after national hero – Portugal

12 February 2016

Lisbon Portela Airport  will be renamed after Humberto Delgado, a Portuguese Air Force General who presided over the foundation of TAP Air Portugal, the national flagship airline, the Portuguese government announced Thursday. At a press conference after the meeting of Council of Ministers, Minister of Planning and Infrastructure, Pedro Marques said the Lisbon Portela Airport […]

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Posted in Awards, Featured, Heritage, Organizations, People, Politics, Portugal, Travel, World

Book: Popular Art From the Heart of Portugal – Review

11 February 2016

By Richard Simas,Contributor (*) What a fascinating read and visual feast is anthropologist Anthony Alan Shelton’s Heaven, Hell and Somewhere In Between, an exquisite photo album and collection of essays on Portuguese popular art. The book is a companion piece for the 2015 major exhibition curated by Shelton at the University of British Columbia’s Museum […]

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Posted in Arts&Culture, Books, Community, Featured, Heritage, Painting, Portugal, Travel

Pico: Cella Bar winner of the ArchDaily Hospitality Architecture Award – Azores

10 February 2016

The Cella Bar & Restaurant, built in the Madalena town of Pico island, is the winner of the 2016 ArchDaily Building of the Year Award for the Hospitality Architecture Category. Built in 2015, over the remains of an old abandoned wine warehouse, the Cella Bar & Retaurant is the creation of architect Paulo Lobo, a […]

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Posted in Arts&Culture, Awards, Azores, Featured, Heritage, Organizations, People, Pico, Portugal, World

Honor: Rev. Steven Joseph Lopes consecrated Bishop in Houston – Texas

09 February 2016

On February 2, 2016, Portuguese American Roman Catholic prelate, Steven Joseph Lopes, 40, was consecrated a Bishop in Houston, Texas, and took up his appointment as prelate of the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of Saint Peter established by Pope Benedict XVI in 2012. The Ordinariates were created as the Vatican’s pastoral response to repeated […]

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