Suheir Hammad

Archive

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Museum of the Palestinian People (MPP)

Name/Title

Suheir Hammad

Entry/Object ID

MTM.018

Tags

On View

Scope and Content

Suheir Hammad (1973- ) is a poet, author, actor, and activist. Born in Amman to Palestinian refugee parents, she moved to Brooklyn when she was five years old. Hammad's work illuminates the theme of dispossession, through her identities as an immigrant, a Palestinian, a Muslim, and a woman. She has produced and appeared in a number of films, and her poetry can be found in more than a dozen published anthologies.

Collection

Making Their Mark

Cataloged By

Wafa Ghnaim

Copyright

Notes

Images/Bio Sources: https://www.smith.edu/poetrycenter/wp/hammad/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suheir_Hammad https://www.carnegie.org/awards/honoree/suheir-hammad/ https://www.ted.com/speakers/suheir_hammad https://www.aljadid.com/content/drops-suheir-hammad-talk-palestinian-poet-born-black https://www.ted.com/talks/suheir_hammad_poems_of_war_peace_women_power https://mosaicmagazine.org/suheir-hammad-interview/

General Notes

Note Type

Historical Note

Note

Suheir Hammad (1973- ) is a poet, author, actor, and political activist. Born in Amman to Palestinian refugee parents, Hammad moved to Brooklyn, New York at five years old. After being forced from Lydda during the Nakba, her family had lived in Gaza before relocating to Amman up until her early childhood. Hammad unearths and illuminates a common theme of dispossession through her identities as an immigrant, Palestinian, Muslim, and woman living within societal sexism. She was offered a deal with HBO's Def Poetry Jam after Russell Simmons discovered her 9/11 reaction piece "First Writing Since." She starred in Annemarie Jacir's Salt of this Sea (2008), Official Selection for the Cannes International Film Festival of that year. Past awards include the Audre Lorde Writing Award, Hunter College (1995, 2000), the Morris Center for Healing Poetry Award (1996), New York Mills Artists Residency (1998), Van Lier Fellowship (1999), 2001 Emerging Artist Award at NYU (2001), and the Tony Award for Special Theatrical Event as an original cast member and writer for Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry Jam on Broadway (2003). She has produced a documentary film entitled Half a Lifetime, and notable works include Born Palestinian, Born Black and Drops of This Story. Through her poetry Hammad desires to transcend cultural and religious barriers, and her writings have appeared in over a dozen anthologies.