Who Am I

Hello there. I am Noor Al-Samarrai. My poetry centers around the confluence between space and memory. I’m interested in how poetry can exist off the page – in geographic space, in conversations between people … and I have had the chance to perform in many spaces that push the boundaries of poetry. Some of my most fulfilling work has been in leading creative workshops for adults and children.

Currently, I am living in Berkeley, California. I work as a cheesemonger, audio producer, and oral historian. I’m currently working on a long-term project – a collection of poetry that attempts to reconstruct golden-era Baghdad through the memories of Iraqis living in diaspora, as well as archival research, personal experiences, and dreams. I began this project with the support of a Fulbright Creative Arts Grant. I’m also working on an exploration of accidents, a smattering of short stories, some breakup (and now love!) poems, and a sci-fi novel (the beginnings of which were stolen in a car break-in). 

You can contact me via email: n [dot] alsamarrai [@] gmail [dot] com 

The portrait of me is drawn by the brilliant Ariana Weckstein.