Sham-e-Ali Nayeem
Author of the poetry collection, City of Pearls (UpSet Press 2019), Sham-e-Ali Nayeem is a Hyderabadi Muslim American poet, musician, interdisciplinary artist, and recovering social justice lawyer. Her poetry has appeared in Apiary, The Margins, Wildness Journal (Platypus Press), Origins Journal (in partnership with Split This Rock), Dusie and Mizna. Her work can also be found in numerous anthologies, including Shattering the Stereotypes: Muslim Women Speak Out (Olive Branch Press, 2005), Living Islam Out Loud: American Muslim Women Speak (Beacon Press, 2005) and Shout Out: Women of Color Respond to Violence (Seal Press, 2008).
She has released two albums, City of Pearls (2019) and the upcoming Moti Ka Sheher (2023), featuring musical interpretations from her book resting in soundscapes ranging from classical rabab to self-composed and produced electronica. Her work explores grief and loss, stories of diasporic Muslim Indian existence, ancestral transmissions, international solidarities and space to imagine. Sham-e-Ali is a recipient of the Loft Literary Center Spoken Word Immersion Fellowship
Awarded Grants
2022
Leeway Transformation Award (LTA)
Related grantees
Overview
Author of the poetry collection, City of Pearls (UpSet Press 2019), Sham-e-Ali Nayeem is a Hyderabadi Muslim American poet, musician, interdisciplinary artist, and recovering social justice lawyer. Her poetry has appeared in Apiary, The Margins, Wildness Journal (Platypus Press), Origins Journal (in partnership with Split This Rock), Dusie and Mizna. Her work can also be found in numerous anthologies, including Shattering the Stereotypes: Muslim Women Speak Out (Olive Branch Press, 2005), Living Islam Out Loud: American Muslim Women Speak (Beacon Press, 2005) and Shout Out: Women of Color Respond to Violence (Seal Press, 2008).
She has released two albums, City of Pearls (2019) and the upcoming Moti Ka Sheher (2023), featuring musical interpretations from her book resting in soundscapes ranging from classical rabab to self-composed and produced electronica. Her work explores grief and loss, stories of diasporic Muslim Indian existence, ancestral transmissions, international solidarities and space to imagine. Sham-e-Ali is a recipient of the Loft Literary Center Spoken Word Immersion Fellowship.
