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: ‘Now and at the Hour of our Death’ by Susana Marques – Editor’s Note

19 October 2015

A journalist with a poet’s sensibility, a poet with a journalist’s clear eye, Susana Moreira Marques succeeds in creating a whole new kind of book about the lives of people dying and their families. The author finds herself in Trás-os-Montes, a rural region in northeastern Portugal. She is there to accompany a palliative care team […]

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

Crisis: Two weeks after general election some help from outer space? – Portugal

16 October 2015

By Len Port, Contributor (*) More than two weeks after the general election, Portugal will still be in the awkward position of not knowing who is to form the next government. How much easier it would have been if a group of extraterrestrials had landed last week. They would have provided a handy solution to […]

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Posted in Azores, Community, Featured, Heritage, Madeira, Politics, Portugal

Book: ‘Creole Societies in the Portuguese Colonial Empire’ – Editor’s Note

15 October 2015

In 2004, a conference was held at King’s College London to commemorate the centenary of the birth of Charles Boxer. The theme of the conference was the development of the culturally mixed ‘Portuguese’ societies in Asia, Africa and America, which reflected Boxer’s own interest in the social history of Portugal’s overseas empire. Although the conference […]

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Posted in Angola, Arts&Culture, Books, Cape Verde, Featured, Guiné-Bissau, Mozambique, Politics, Portugal, São Tomé and Prince

Book: ‘Heaven, Hell and Somewhere In Between’ Portuguese Popular Art – Editor’s Note

13 October 2015

Popular art expresses the passion and verve emanating from the rich imagination and the social, political and religious experiences of its creators. In Portugal, this art of the people also conveys deeply seated, idealistic views of national identity, history and character. Much Portuguese popular art focuses on three amorphous places: Heaven (the world of the […]

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

Two Hundred Days: ‘A Photographic Journey Through Portugal’ by Mark Benham

10 October 2015

Review by Julie Dawn Fox, Contributor (*) I’m jealous. And inspired. In his new photography book, Two Hundred Days, Mark Benham has fulfilled a dream of mine; to compile a stunning visual tour through Portugal which captures its essence and touches the soul. Mark’s two hundred days of photography were spread over 12 visits to […]

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Posted in Arts&Culture, Azores, Books, Featured, Photography, Portugal, Travel

Living history: Cristina Baptista documents the Morgan final voyage – Interview

07 October 2015

By Millicent Borges Accardi, Contributor (*) Once part of a fleet numbering more than 2,700 vessels, the Morgan cast off for its 38th voyage nearly 80 years after it was retired as a waling vessel. One passenger on the Morgan’s final journey was the poet and English professor Cristina Baptista, who documented her experience in […]

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Posted in Arts&Culture, Community, Featured, Heritage, Interviews, People, Travel