A decade in the making, this debut collection navigates the geography of the human heart and the complexities of the Egyptian American experience.
On Distance by Emily Ahmed is a luminous debut that documents a ten-year evolution of thought, beginning in the formative years of adolescence and culminating in a sophisticated coming-of-age meditation. Ahmed’s work is a deeply introspective project that utilizes language as a tool for "meaning-making," transforming scattered reflections into a cohesive study of self and survival.
At the center of this collection is the concept of modern myth-making as it relates to the Arab American diaspora. Ahmed suggests that the stories we tell ourselves, those that are rooted in both ancestral heritage and modern reality, are essential acts of survival. By weaving ancient archetypes into her contemporary settings through poetry, she explores the distance between heritage and home and the search for a permanent "belonging.”
A study of the tension between isolated loneliness and the restorative power of communal solitude, Ahmed’s verse offers a striking clarity, illuminating the literal and figurative distances we live and love through.
Format: Paperback
Language: English
Length: 67 pages
ISBN: 979-8-9898850-2-2
A decade in the making, this debut collection navigates the geography of the human heart and the complexities of the Egyptian American experience.
On Distance by Emily Ahmed is a luminous debut that documents a ten-year evolution of thought, beginning in the formative years of adolescence and culminating in a sophisticated coming-of-age meditation. Ahmed’s work is a deeply introspective project that utilizes language as a tool for "meaning-making," transforming scattered reflections into a cohesive study of self and survival.
At the center of this collection is the concept of modern myth-making as it relates to the Arab American diaspora. Ahmed suggests that the stories we tell ourselves, those that are rooted in both ancestral heritage and modern reality, are essential acts of survival. By weaving ancient archetypes into her contemporary settings through poetry, she explores the distance between heritage and home and the search for a permanent "belonging.”
A study of the tension between isolated loneliness and the restorative power of communal solitude, Ahmed’s verse offers a striking clarity, illuminating the literal and figurative distances we live and love through.
Format: Paperback
Language: English
Length: 67 pages
ISBN: 979-8-9898850-2-2
Emily Ahmed is an Egyptian-American writer and artist. Her poems are published in Trampoline, Sienna Solstice, Plentitudes, Running Dog, Mizna, and more. She studied Arabic, Middle Eastern Studies, and art in Minnesota and throughout North Africa and Southwest Asia. On Distance is her first book of poetry.
