Suheir Hammad
Encyclopedia
Suheir Hammad is a Palestinian-American poet, author and political activist. She was born in Amman
, Jordan
. Her parents were Palestinian refugee
s who immigrated along with their daughter to Brooklyn
, New York City
when she was five years old. Her parents later moved to Staten Island
.
As an adolescent Hammad was heavily influenced by Brooklyn's vibrant Hip-Hop scene. She had also absorbed the stories her parents and grandparents had told her of life in their hometown of Lydda
, before the 1948 Palestinian exodus
, and of the suffering they endured afterward, first in the Gaza Strip
and then in Jordan
. From these disparate influences Hammad was able to weave into her work a common narrative of dispossession, not only in her capacity as an immigrant, a Palestinian and a Muslim
, but as a woman struggling against society's inherent sexism
and as a poet in her own right.
When hip-hop entrepreneur Russell Simmons
came across her piece entitled 'First Writing Since,' a poem describing her reaction to the September 11 attacks, he signed her to a deal with HBO's Def Poetry Jam. She recited original works on tour for the following two years. She is now working on her third publication which will be a book of prose.
She will also be partaking in the Bush Theatre
's 2011 project Sixty Six where she has written a piece based upon a chapter of the King James Bible
Amman
Amman is the capital of Jordan. It is the country's political, cultural and commercial centre and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. The Greater Amman area has a population of 2,842,629 as of 2010. The population of Amman is expected to jump from 2.8 million to almost...
, Jordan
Jordan
Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...
. Her parents were Palestinian refugee
Palestinian refugee
Palestinian refugees or Palestine refugees are the people and their descendants, predominantly Palestinian Arabic-speakers, who fled or were expelled from their homes during and after the 1948 Palestine War, within that part of the British Mandate of Palestine, that after that war became the...
s who immigrated along with their daughter to Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
when she was five years old. Her parents later moved to Staten Island
Staten Island
Staten Island is a borough of New York City, New York, United States, located in the southwest part of the city. Staten Island is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull, and from the rest of New York by New York Bay...
.
As an adolescent Hammad was heavily influenced by Brooklyn's vibrant Hip-Hop scene. She had also absorbed the stories her parents and grandparents had told her of life in their hometown of Lydda
Lod
Lod is a city located on the Sharon Plain southeast of Tel Aviv in the Center District of Israel. At the end of 2010, it had a population of 70,000, roughly 75 percent Jewish and 25 percent Arab.The name is derived from the Biblical city of Lod...
, before the 1948 Palestinian exodus
1948 Palestinian exodus
The 1948 Palestinian exodus , also known as the Nakba , occurred when approximately 711,000 to 725,000 Palestinian Arabs left, fled or were expelled from their homes, during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War and the Civil War that preceded it. The exact number of refugees is a matter of dispute...
, and of the suffering they endured afterward, first in the Gaza Strip
Gaza Strip
thumb|Gaza city skylineThe Gaza Strip lies on the Eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. The Strip borders Egypt on the southwest and Israel on the south, east and north. It is about long, and between 6 and 12 kilometres wide, with a total area of...
and then in Jordan
Jordan
Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...
. From these disparate influences Hammad was able to weave into her work a common narrative of dispossession, not only in her capacity as an immigrant, a Palestinian and a Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
, but as a woman struggling against society's inherent sexism
Sexism
Sexism, also known as gender discrimination or sex discrimination, is the application of the belief or attitude that there are characteristics implicit to one's gender that indirectly affect one's abilities in unrelated areas...
and as a poet in her own right.
When hip-hop entrepreneur Russell Simmons
Russell Simmons
-External links:** * * * * * * from the US Holocaust Memorial Museum* *...
came across her piece entitled 'First Writing Since,' a poem describing her reaction to the September 11 attacks, he signed her to a deal with HBO's Def Poetry Jam. She recited original works on tour for the following two years. She is now working on her third publication which will be a book of prose.
She will also be partaking in the Bush Theatre
Bush Theatre
The Bush Theatre is based in Shepherd's Bush, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. It was established in 1972 above The Bush public house by Brian McDermott, and has since become one of the most celebrated new writing theatres in the world. An intimate venue renowned for its close-up...
's 2011 project Sixty Six where she has written a piece based upon a chapter of the King James Bible
Film and Video
- Lest We Forget (2003) - Narrator
- The Fourth World War (2004) - Narrator
- Salt of This Sea (2008) - Soraya
- When I Stretch Forth Mine Hand (2009) - Verses by
Produced plays
- Blood Trinity (2002) The New York Hip Hop Theater Festival
- ReOrientalism (2003)
- Libretto by Suheir Hammad
Awards
- The Audre Lorde Writing Award, Hunter College (1995, 2000)
- The Morris Center for Healing Poetry Award (1996)
- New York Mills Artist Residency (1998)
- Van Lier Fellowship (1999)
- The 2001 Emerging Artist Award, Asian/Pacific/American Studies Institute at NYU
- The 2009 American Book Awards
- Tony AwardTony AwardThe Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
– Special Theatrical Event – original cast member and writer for Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry Jam on Broadway (2003) - Suheir is also a talent associate for the Peabody Award winning HBO show Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry (2003)
Works
- Born Palestinian, Born Black. Harlem River Press, 1996, ISBN 0-863-16244-4.
- Drops of This Story Harlem River Press, 1996.
- Zaatar Diva Cypher Books, 2006, ISBN 1-892-49467-1
- Breaking Poems Cypher Books, 2008, ISBN 978-0-9819131-2-4
Periodicals
- The Amsterdam News
- Black Renaissance/Renaissance Noire
- Brilliant Corners
- Clique
- Drum Voices Revue
- Essence
- Long Shot
- Atlanta Review
- Bomb
- Brooklyn Bridge
- Fierce
- STRESS Hip-Hop Magazine
- Quarterly Black Review of Books
- Color Lines
- Spheric
- The Olive Tree Review
- The Hunter Envoy
- Meridians
- Signs
Anthologies
- In Defense of Mumia (Writers and Readers)
- New to North America (Burning Bush Press)
- The Space Between Our Footsteps (Simon & Shuster)
- Identity lessons (Penguin)
- Listen Up! (Ballantine)
- Post Gibran: Anthology of New Arab-American Writing (Jusoor Press)
- Becoming American (Hyperion)
- Bum Rush the Page (Three Rivers Press)
- The Poetry of Arab Women (Interlink Books)
- Voices for Peace (Scribner)
- Another World is Possible (Subway & Elevated Press)
- 33 Things Every Girl Should Know About Women’s History (Crown)
- Trauma at Home (Bison Press)
- Sing, Whisper, Shout, Pray!; Feminist Visions for a Just World (Edge Work)
- Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry Jam on Broadway (Atria)
- Short Fuse, The Global Anthology of New Fusion Poetry, edited by Swift & Norton; (Rattapallax Press)
- Word. On Being a (Woman) Writer, edited by Jocelyn Burrell; (The Feminist Press)
External links
- Suheir Hammad, text of "First Writing Since"
- Suheir Hammad Performing "First Writing Since"
- Suheir Hammad, text of "Mike Check"
- Suheir Hammad performing "Mike Check"
- Profile on Suheir Hammad at the Institute for Middle East Understanding
- http://www.palfest.org/video.htmlSuheir Hammad performing two poems at the Palestine Festival of LiteraturePalestine Festival of LiteraturePalFest is an annual event that aims to bring a cultural festival of international standard to audiences in Palestine to assert "the power of culture over the culture of power." In recognition of how restricted movement is for Palestinians the Festival travels throughout Palestine, staging events...
] - eFilmCritic.com interview with Suheir Hammad about "Salt of This Sea" by Dan Lybarger
- TED Suheir Hammad: Poems of war, peace, women, power