The Odesa – UNESCO City of Literature Office continues its project “Poetry in Cities of Literature,” which introduces readers to contemporary poetry from sister cities within the UNESCO Cities of Literature network. The initiative, planned over a year, aims to showcase diverse voices and foster cultural exchange among global literary communities.
Slemani, a UNESCO Creative City of Literature, is the cultural capital of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Founded in 1784, the city has long been a hub for poetry, philosophy, education, and progressive thought. Slemani’s literary tradition bridges generations, where classical Kurdish poets like Nalî and Mahwî meet contemporary voices shaping new forms of expression.
The city’s vibrant literary life is sustained through its bookstores, cafés, universities, cultural centers, and religious institutions, forming a living network of creativity active year-round. Slemani hosts festivals, workshops, translation initiatives, and literary exchanges that connect local writers with international peers. Its multilingual heritage—Kurdish, Arabic, English, and more—encourages openness and storytelling across communities.
At its core, “Poetry in Cities of Literature” emphasizes mutual cultural enrichment, creating an open exchange where books, ideas, and traditions travel freely, inspiring and uniting people worldwide.
Zuleikha Kareem is a poet and translator born in 1985 in Erbil. She has a BA in English Language and Literature from Salahaddin University. Her poems have appeared in several literary magazines across Kurdistan. In 2020, her Kurdish translation of Truman Capote’s Breakfast at Tiffany’s was published by Sardam Publishing House, and her poetry collection Separating the Colors of Sorrow was published by Nusyar Publishing House in 2024.
We invite you to listen to the poem What Remains Within Your Heart to Surge? in the original language by the author.
What Remains Within Your Heart to Surge?
Not all my journeys back to my roots are melancholic.
Within my heart, a light burns —
Crimson, beyond fire.
In my dreams, happy and simple alleys linger,
And I wish to narrate the glow of these alleys.
I clutch the courage, and forge my own way.
A long path sometimes begins
With only a brief glimpse —
An overlooked charm.
I leave, when all others stand still,
I return, when all others are leaving.
My warrior heart fills me with a ruinous power,
And I long to upend my world.
Standing vigilant and upright, I wait —
Waiting to return from my battles,
To tend my wounds.
Should I fail to heed my typhoons,
I fear I will fall mute!
Should I avert my gaze from the eyes of my storms,
I fear I will surrender, and crumble
Amid both wars and peaces.
I am my own army of a thousand knights.
The clear voice within me
Is the friend of the child within me,
The friend of the woman within me,
The friend of the man within me,
The friend of the forsaking, harsh human within me.
The clear voice within me
Does not shrink from my paradoxical faces within.
This is my kingdom,
This is my home
The project was created by the Odesa UNESCO City of Literature and being implemented with funds raised by Reykjavik City of Literature Reykjavík Bókmenntaborg UNESCO as part of the readings initiated by Milano City of Literature “Not Just Words” (Reading for Odesa) on February 24, 2024.
