Introducing Storyteller Amirah Al Wassif — Part 1
Interview
I am delighted to have the privilege of introducing to Substack readers the freelance writer-extraordinaire Amirah Al Wassif.
I first became aware of Amirah on Facebook, where we have been online friends for some time. Amirah, as you’ll note from her responses to my questions, is very well-read and a prolific writer — her work ranges from journalism to short fiction, from novels to poetry to songwriting. First and foremost, no matter the form of her writing, she is a storyteller.
The author of five books in Arabic, Amirah has published in cultural magazines a significant body of work in English. Her writing also has been translated into Spanish, Kurdish, and Hindi. Among her titles are the illustrated poetry collections The Rules of Blind Obedience (GusGus Press/Bedazzled Ink Publishing, 2024), How to Bury a Curious Girl (Bedazzled Ink Publishing, 2022), and For Those Who Don’t Know Chocolate (Poetic Justice Books & Arts, 2019). She also has published a children’s book,The Cocoa Boy and Other Stories (Poetic Justice Books & Arts, 2020), and expects to publish her first novel soon. Some online and print journals to which she’s contributed poems are Birmingham Arts Journal, South Florida Poetry, Chiron Review, and Hawaii Review. Amirah has receive several awards, in particular for her short fiction. One of her stories won a BBC Radio short story prize and was broadcast on Radio Monte Carlo.
Amirah crafts poems, most often in free verse, with a visual artist’s sense of the importance of the image, how it can carry meaning and convey emotion. Her images sometimes are dream-like, reminiscent of the work of surrealist painters and writers; sometimes violent, as when she bears witness to and documents what others close their eyes to, be it injustice and repression or racism and inequality; always deeply imaginative and rendered with empathy and compassion and even hope. She speaks with a voice charged with courage, as well as self-assurance.
Part 1 of this two-part interview offers a look at Amirah the person — where she was born and lives now, her educational and training background, her seminal influences, and publishing success. Part 2, to follow next week, focuses on Amirah’s poetry-making — how she came to write poems, what makes a “good” poem, what her poems reveal about her, what poetry means to her. I include in both parts a brief excerpt and a complete poem from The Rules of Blind Obedience.
This interview was conducted by email earlier this summer and has been edited.
I am grateful to <Mary L. Tabor,> a co-founder of Inner Life, for inviting me to share my interview with the collaborative’s subscribers. Mary’s personal Substack is “Only connect. . .”
Thank you for reading! Subscribe at no cost to receive other Inner Life posts and support the work of writers you find here.
Maureen Doallas: Amirah, please share with our readers a bit about your background.
Amirah Al Wassif: I was born in the small town of El-Zarqa in Egypt’s Damietta Governorate—a dot on the map. Later, I moved to Yemen, where I spent most of my childhood before returning in my teens to Egypt, where I have lived ever since.
I hold a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism, and worked in journalism and media both during and after my university studies. Over time, I realized that journalism was not my true calling. Although I have always loved writing in every form, two years in journalism clarified that my deepest passion lay in literature.
Maureen: Do you recall how old you were when you first began writing?
Amirah: I was about 13, in middle school, when I began writing, starting with simple personal, poetic reflections and diary-style notes, and honing my craft through voracious reading of authors and poets whose work moved me.
Maureen: Who most influenced your early reading and writing?
Amirah: My father had the greatest impact on me and truly ignited my love of reading and writing. When I was very young, he read aloud to me constantly; then, I read by myself and, eventually, I began writing and sharing my work with him. He was, for a time, my only audience—and my closest friend.
A writer himself, in Arabic, my father’s pieces earned some of Egypt’s most prestigious literary prizes. From an early age, he regularly won first place at the national level in poetry, short stories, and plays.
Also a passionate reader, especially of translated literature, my father studied German literature and adored Goethe. Life’s practical demands, however, forced him into work outside the literary field. Still, his devotion to writing never faded, remaining a beautiful dream he loved to share with me. He encouraged my siblings and me to read well beyond our years: Shakespeare, Goethe, Voltaire, Schiller, and Arthur Miller, alongside modern Arabic masters such as Taha Hussein and the Nobel laureate Naguib Mahfouz.
An excerpt from Amirah’s poem “Conspiracy":
[. . .] I watched the sky pouring its bluest ink into your eye socket
And I figured out how one could give her a kiss goodbye.
We got too close until my bones touched yours.
I picked up your salt tears with my little shaky fingers
The moment you drew a dark circle around my mouth. [. . .]
My father’s influence remains profound, yet I am also inspired by many writers across eras and genres: Jane Austen, Gabriela Garcia Marquez, Khalil Gibran, Rabindranath Tagore, George Orwell, Maya Angelou, Toni Morrison, Stephen King, and many others. Any writer who creates with genuine passion and originality — famous or obscure — can become my mentor-in-spirit.
Maureen: To whom or to what do you look for support as a writer?
Amirah: I do not rely on any particular organization or institution. I prefer the freedom to write what I see, feel, and believe. That independence is, to me, the essence and magic of the craft.
Writers often find their strongest support in their readers.
Maureen: Your work both questions and challenges, can be personal while also addressing more universal themes. Is writing for you a kind of witnessing?
Amirah: Writing for me isn’t just a form of witnessing or documentation; it’s also a form of meditation and dreaming. I often feel like I’m flying when I write. I suppose that’s what people call the “ecstasy of writing.”
But yes, there’s definitely a documentary side as well—some things I’ve lived through and feel the need to tell.
I believe most writers and poets are like [me]. In one way or another, we’re always telling our stories across time.
Maureen: Does your writing generally tend toward or have specific themes?
Amirah: I always try to bring something new to my writing — both in ideas and in the form itself — because, personally, I get bored easily. I really enjoy experimenting and following a more exploratory approach.
That said, yes, there are recurring themes in many of my poems, especially those dealing with violence against women, the impact of war, child abuse, and all forms of racism.
Also, you’ll often find me writing about orphans, the blind, and other marginalized groups.
Maureen: Do you have a special place in your home or elsewhere that you’ve set aside for writing? Do you observe any rituals to “get in the mood” to write?
Amirah: In truth, I’m constantly training myself to write without depending on a specific place. I believe a writer should learn to take control of [her] surroundings to create at any time and in any place.
Maureen: As I and your other social media friends can attest, you have had remarkable success getting your work accepted and published by a significant number of periodicals and journals. What accounts for your success? Do you spend a certain portion of your day submitting work? How do you identify the various publications for your work?
Amirah: In fact, I do set aside time — usually once a week — to submit the pieces I’ve written and feel are ready for publication.
I send my work to a wide range of literary magazines that I find through some incredibly helpful websites, such as New Pages and The Submission Grinder, designed to connect writers with suitable markets.
And just as there are many magazines that publish my work, there are also many that reject it. That’s simply part of the process.
Maureen: What do you think draws your readers to your writing, and what do you want your audience to take away when they read your work?
Amirah: I believe it’s the honesty in my work. Readers often tell me they feel genuinely touched by what I write.
I don’t necessarily want to deliver a specific message but I do hope that my writing inspires readers to change something about their reality.
I simply wish for my work to be a source of inspiration.
I don’t write because I want to impress anyone. I write because I have something
inside me that needs to be heard, even if by myself only.
Maureen: Given all that you have published to date, what are you most proud of? Why?
Amirah: Honestly, the one piece I can say I’m truly proud of hasn’t been written yet, and I think that feeling will always stay with me. I’ve never really felt fully satisfied with what I write.
I’m always looking forward to [writing] something better; however, I feel my writing has reached [its highest level so far] with my most recent poetry collections, The Rules of Blind Obedience and How to Bury a Curious Girl.
Maureen: What advice or suggestions do you have for those who say, “I want to be a writer”?
Amirah: My only advice, without saying too much, is this: Follow your inner voice, and don’t listen to discouraging words. No one knows your path better than you.
If you truly feel, deep down, that you are a real artist — not pretending — and you treat your gift with care, effort, and dedication, then support yourself and never stop writing!
Maureen: One more question before we break from Part 1, what do you do when you are not writing?
Amirah: When I am not writing, I am usually reading, translating, or subtitling films. I am fascinated by cinema. I also am drawn to songwriting and hope one day to contribute creatively in that field as well.
Miracles
I believe in miracles,
That delicious kind of magic
Like traveling through balloons of poetry
Or seeing an angel pouring a glass of joy for needy children.
I believe in miracles,
When someone bakes a loaf of bread for a stranger.
When a group of different people fish out the bright stars
Circled around the waist of Justice Galaxy.
I believe in miracles,
Counting all the mint leaves that grew between my fingers as a poetic leader to the sky.
I believe in miracles,
That precious kind of peace that makes your heart sing.
Maureen Doallas is a poet, features writer-interviewer, and editor. Her Substack is Writing Without Paper.
What a terrific interview, Maureen. Amirah's line "We got too close until my bones touched yours" -- delves deep in metaphor and resonates. The links too for where she looks to send are also good. I do have fears about the future of the literary magazine where I got my start, unless now published here like yours in Calul Journal. Folks should check out the link on your site.
I will write about this to some extent this week.
Thank you so for the kind words about me: You have been a "find" for me that never would have happened without Substack!
Thank you, Maureen, for introducing us to Amirah Al Wassif and her work. 🙏 💗
Just what I needed to read today.