Close Ups: Sham-e-Ali Nayeem
FEBRUARY 9, 2022 AT 7PM
Sham-e-Ali Nayeem. Photo: Andrea Walls.
When you've been through fire, you know who you are. In the meditative cradle of the garden, Sham-e-Ali Nayeem weaves a poetic story to music that stretches from traditional rabab to modern electronica, exploring letting one part go while new discoveries are born.
WATCH THE EPISODE HERE:
Sham-e-Ali Nayeem. Photo: Andrea Walls.
Author of the poetry collection, City of Pearls (UpSet Press 2019), Sham-e-Ali Nayeem is an Indian Muslim American poet, artist and public interest lawyer of Hyderabadi descent. Her poetry has appeared in Apiary, Dusie and Mizna, and can be found in anthologies, including Shattering the Stereotypes: Muslim Women Speak Out (Olive Branch Press, 2005), Living Islam Out Loud: American Muslim Women Speak (Beacon Press, 2005) and Shout Out: Women of Color Respond to Violence (Seal Press, 2008). Sham-e-Ali is the recipient of the Loft Literary Center Spoken Word Immersion Fellowship.
About Close Ups:
Legendary poet and visionary Ursula Rucker curates the second season of Close Ups, a series of hour-long performances and conversations created and hosted by Intercultural Journeys. Running from October through March, Close Ups: Scars and Emblems elevates a new group of Philadelphia artists. Spanning generations and genres, each episode—a moving combination of performance and conversation with Ursula Rucker—offers the viewer an intimate look into the creative practice of these powerhouse artists. Be immersed in these shape-shifting stories of hurt and hope, told through poetry, dance, music and indelible imagery.
We're so grateful to our friends at Bartram’s Gardens and Germantown Espresso Bar for the generous use of their beautiful spaces to film the Close Ups series.