Syrian Kurdish / UK poet Amir Darwish has published two collections of poetry – ‘Don’t Forget The Couscous’ and ‘Dear Refugee’, and the first part of his autobiography, ‘From Aleppo Without Love’.
We’ve a great conversation about love and solidarity, the poets Rumi, Saleem Barakat and Adunis, the challenges of writing about trauma and injustice – and what he calls his efforts to humanise attitudes towards refugees. He also talks about his approach to writing and why he keeps the spirit of Aleppo alive in his poetry.
It’s interesting that Amir came to Britain on the underside of a lorry in 2003 – and his writing about the refugee experience is grounded in a personal awareness, understanding and empathy.
And he’s a beautiful writer – you’ll hear this in the poems he reads. Including: ‘Where I Come From’, ‘We Want To Live’, ‘If I Ever See Love’ and ‘I Feel I Should Speak of The City’.
His book, ‘Dear Refugee’ is published by Smokestack Books and if you’re in Ireland you can order from Kenny’s Bookshop or direct from the publisher. This, and his other poetry book – ‘Don’t Forget the Couscous’ are beautiful collections which really delve into his experiences, and explore the many different aspects of love, exile and seeking refuge.
The magazine we talk about at the start of the interview – ‘The Other Side of Hope’ (which Amir is the books editor of) is a UK-based literary magazine edited by refugees and immigrants. They also put out regular calls for submissions so follow them @OtherSideofHope
And you can follow Amir at @darwish_amir
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