Suheir Hammad
Poet
Palestinian-American poet and political activist whose works include Drops of This Story and Breaking Poems. She also toured with an HBO-produced event called Def Poetry Jam, winning a 2003 Tony Award for a Broadway Def Poetry performance.
She published her debut poetic work, Born Palestinian, Born Black, in 1996.
She received an American Book Award in 2009.
She was born to Palestinian parents in a Jordanian refugee camp and was raised in Brooklyn, New York.
She was signed to a spoken-word poetry contract by Hip Hop great Russell Simmons.