[01/13/26] Freeman, Joe & Soe, Aung Naing: Frontline Poets

River Books, paperback

Publication Date: January 13th, 2026

Publisher Marketing: Combining poems by contemporary Burmese poets along with their life stories. The book demonstrates the power of the written word and is both a parallel story of Burmese political turmoil and the life-affirming power of literature. The history of Myanmar can be told through its poets, from the fight against colonialism to the modern day struggle for democracy. Much of this tradition is barely known in the west. Frontline Poets is an inspiring, revelatory and heart wrenching account of how several poets in Myanmar ditched their comfortable lives to join dangerous protests, form armed groups and to be on the front line of a revolution.