Ma Thida is a Burmese medical doctor, writer, human rights activist and former prisoner of conscience. She founded and served until 2016 as president of PEN Myanmar, whose mission includes monitoring issues related to freedom of expression, organizing discussions about literature with the public, developing a culture of literature in Myanmar, promoting creative writing, and making literature a part of the country’s educational curriculum. Ma Thida is the author of the book A-Maze: Myanmar's Struggle for Democracy, 2011-2023. Read an excerpt here.

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