Alice Walker is an internationally celebrated author, poet and activist whose books included novels, collections of short stories, children’s books, and volumes of essays and poetry. Her best known novel, The Color Purple, was adapted by Steven Spielberg into  a major motion picture. In 1992 she spoke at the John Adams Institute about her novel Possessing the Secret of Joy, about the devastating effects of female genital mutilation. The evening was mostly devoted to Ms. Walker’s readings, followed by a Q&A with the audience that unfortunately did not survive the recording. But the sound of her voice, her reading and her work are still very powerful.

This event took place on October 23, 1992 at the Aula of the UvA in Amsterdam.

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