Kazim Ali
“When artists think of “failure,” they may think of a work that hasn’t realized itself or a work that didn’t go far in the world. Poets just live with “failure” because no poem realizes itself, no poem goes all that very far in the world, except maybe one or two—and even those only go a certain way. Our bodies fail, the planets fail, death wants us. For me, poetry and dance are other ways the body can breathe more deeply.”
“[T]his dazzling retrospective showcases Ali’s multifaceted voice in poems of lyric daring. Ali’s linguistic interests are seemingly infinite―from the Vedas to the roots of English and Arabic―but common threads reach across the poems, including migration, prayer, and the creative act itself. Contemplative yet grounded, these poems form surprising and impactful connections.”
“A graceful, elegant account even when reporting on the hard truths of a little-known corner of the world.”
“Much of what the poet has presented to us is painful, yes, but it is also beautiful in how it uses voice as a symbol for continued imagination. Altogether, The Voice of Sheila Chandra is both an excavation and compilation of our survival.”
“What a gift Kazim Ali’s Inquisition is, what a generosity, in its sustained and sustaining inhabitation of the mystery. That, without ignoring heartbreak or rage, it understands that we are always “at the end of knowing,” and shows us how we might reside there. And from which residence, Inquisition reminds me: love.”
“Poet Ali . . . transforms readers into his companions on his travels around the globe and on an interior philosophical quest. Ali cleverly spurns convention for this excellent mixed-genre collection.”
Kazim Ali was born in the United Kingdom and has lived transnationally in the United States, Canada, India, France, and the Middle East. His most recent book is Sukun: New and Selected Poems (Wesleyan University Press, 2023), which Publisher’s Weekly called, “dazzling.” His books encompass multiple genres, including the volumes of poetry The Voice of Sheila Chandra (Alice James Books, 2020), Inquisition (Wesleyan University Press, 2018) All One’s Blue (HarperCollins India, 2016) Sky Ward (Wesleyan University Press, 2012) winner of the Ohioana Book Award in Poetry; The Fortieth Day (BOA Editions, 2008); The Far Mosque (Alice James Books, 2005) winner of Alice James Books’ New England/New York Award; and the cross-genre texts Bright Felon (Wesleyan University Press, 2009) and Wind Instrument (Spork Press, 2014). His most recent book is Northern Light: Power, Land and the Memory of Water (Milkweed Editions, 2021), which Literary Hub called “A balm for the soul." His novels include The Secret Room: A String Quartet (Kaya Press, 2017) and among his books of essays are the hybrid memoir Silver Road: Essays, Maps & Calligraphies (Tupelo Press, 2018) and Fasting for Ramadan: Notes from a Spiritual Practice (Tupelo Press, 2011). He is also an accomplished translator of Marguerite Duras, Sohrab Sepehri, Ananda Devi, Mahmoud Chokrollahi and others, and an editor of several anthologies and books of criticism.
In 2003 Ali co-founded Nightboat Books and served as the press’s publisher until 2007. He has received an Individual Excellence Award from the Ohio Arts Council, and his poetry has been featured in Best American Poetry. Ali has been a regular columnist for the American Poetry Review and a contributing editor for the Association of Writers and Writing Programs’ Writer’s Chronicle. He is a former member of the Cocoon Theatre Modern Dance Company.
In an interview with divedapper, Ali was asked about publication anxiety: “Every book I’ve published has taken me such a long time and I’m so unsure about all of them. There has never been a book where I’ve been like, "I did the best I could with this one, it’s going out there, it’s going to be great." I’ve always felt doubts, but I learned to just get the stuff out there. Just keep publishing what you’re writing. Write it, publish it, write it, publish it—no one else is going to judge it, you’re not going to judge it.”
After a career in public policy and organizing, Ali taught at various colleges and universities, including Oberlin College, Davidson College, St. Mary's College of California, and Naropa University. He is currently a Professor of Literature at the University of California, San Diego.
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(c) Jesse Sutton-Hough
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