afrose fatima ahmed (Seattle) is a hybrid Texan-Washingtonian who writes poems on emerald city streets and at the tops of evergreen trees. she is the daughter of Muslim immigrants from India. Her body and her art live in liminal spaces: polar US borderlands, the division between land and sea, the place where urban density drops off into rural solitude. afrose comes to poetry as just one avenue for creating experiences of beauty and communion for herself and other people. her writing emphasizes all the senses and acknowledges a world in which humans are suffering and experiencing bliss against wild landscapes that are simultaneously living and dying.
afrose holds an M.A. in Asian Studies from the University of Texas where she translated from Urdu to English the poetry of Makhdoom Mohiuddin, a revolutionary and romantic poet from afrose’s homeland of Hyderabad, India.
afrose is a 2017 Artist Trust GAP grant recipient, a 2017 Jack Straw Writer, and a Voices of Our Nations Arts (a multi-genre workshop for writers of color) alumna.
afrose is the author of four self-published poetry chapbooks: he won’t dance with me (December 2013), BODY OF WATER (October 2016), 70,000 Veils (October 2016), and Season’s Grievings (August 2017). afrose is currently working on her first full length collection of poems entitled blood gold and honey, which are a few of her favorite things, and takes the shape of a tarot deck of her own design.
afrose climbs in her spare time, in order to gain perspective.
afrosefatimaahmed[at]gmail.com
You can hear afrose reading selections from her chapbook on SoundCloud.
afrose fatima ahmed 
Hi. About a year ago, I received a gift of one of your poems from my girlfriend. Before I had a chance to put it in a frame, my son got some oil on it and stained it. I am wondering if you could recreate it for me using the same typewriter, paper (or something close to it) and size of paper? I scanned the poem and can send it to you via email or upload it to a designated place. I will pay you for your troubles and shipping. Thanks, Cory Ann.
something drew me to you today. I amaze myself sometimes by approaching people of your spirit. The shyness washes away Tear of joy are left .You wrote a poem of your first impression of me that was in the center of the target and, again I was stunned that I approached you. why, who knows but you have a beautiful something or other ( trying to stay away from labels ) surrounding you. Its peaceful ,yet intense. But not so intense that I couldn’t approach you. Thank you ,Afrose, James
I met you yesterday at the Seattle Center. You wrote me a poem about Family. Thank you so much. I love how you beautifully summarized what Family truly is.
Respected ,Afrose Fatime Ahmed
Our meeting in Seattle center and writing on the spot poem was an Wonderfull experience . I shared my experience with my senior friends in face book . Your work had Been highly appreciated by my friends and aquentences . Specially using typewriter was amazed all. My friends are requesting to translate your poems in Bengaly so that they can understand expressive thoughts in it . I need your willingness appreciation and encouragement . I will share this only on face book . Your reply will be honored . May I tag them on your fb page ,so they you can see and read . Best wishes and regards . Arun Kumar Ghosh .
Thanks for the poem.
You are amazing…so are you a Mountain Climber as well?
Thank you for my poem, subject sobriety. I will always be grateful for the tears of joy you brought me when I read it. Putting my higher power first along with my sobriety has saved my life. I will always cherished this poem, share it with other alcoholics and it will one day go in my book with your permission. May peace and blessings always be with you and I pray you continue always doing what you love and let your beautiful words heal others.
Thank you, my heart was full of anger and the poem you wrote for me was a cup of tea for me.
You are welcome. I’m glad we were able to meet!
You wrote a poem for me at the Pier in SF. Your poem on Radical Honesty amd Love left me deeply moved, touched and inspired. You wrote the words that I have gobbled within my soul for years. Your words freed me. May you be blessed tremendously on my behalf.
Afrose,
We met in San Francisco’s ferry building and wrote a beautiful poem for me about Exploring.
You’ve touched my life and I’ve shared what you do with my friends. Thank you for what you do you are an inspiration and a hell of a poet!
All the best,
Kris
So happy with the little poem you crafted… Thanks for sharing your talent with us in such an unusual and whimsical way.
I met her 2016in August at the foot of Seattle space Needle.She is an wonderful young lady with talent. I collected her book . She wrote me an instant poem on Air,wind,and,Sun .
Thanks.Fatime.
Dear Afrose,
You wrote a poem for me, “dragon”, during Steve Gilligan’s Generative Trance Camp.
This means a lot to me. It gave me insights about who I am.
Thank you: Gratitude
Arnaud
You crafted a lovely poem for my husband and me about the “vicious” werewolf mouse. We will be sure to frame it! Also, when we were in Joshua Tree National Park, we came across some signage that listed many of the rodents one can find in the area and one of the included rodents was the kangaroo rat!
Thank you for sharing your gifts!
I’m very, very happy with the poem that Afrose wrote about my girlfriend for me. She took the time to ask about my relationship, what I loved about my girlfriend, and our shared experiences. Afrose created a poem that encapsulates the weird intricacies of my relationship with my girlfriend. I commend Afrose’s poetry, especially to folks whose significant other’s love languages include Words of Affirmation.
I was fundraising money for a field trip, and after I asked her to write a poem about overcoming fears. The poem was amazing, and I wish her the best of luck. I met her in 2019 near the farmers market in San Francisco. She inspires me to creat poetry too. Thank you so much!