ABOUT

Abdullahi Aress Mohamed feels blessed to be steeped in various cultural & literary traditions, giving him a unique vantage position to observe and write. He tries to bring these disparate worlds to conversation, situate himself and his milieu in the world.  

Robert Frost remarked that all poetry begins with “a lump in the throat.” Abdullahi’s main instinct to write therefore stems from the socio-political context of his background, the Horn of Africa, a place which hasn’t produced many writers. His lyrical and deeply affecting fiction and nonfiction centers people, places and experiences excluded from mainstream narratives. His writing however is a way to imagine, to purge, to confront, to discomfit and to cause catharsis, if not healing.

Abdullahi studied law and has completed a Masters from Washington University in St. Louis USA in 2023 with a 4.0 G.P.A. He currently works as an immigration law clerk and interpreter in Minneapolis, USA. He has worked in human rights/legal advocacy. He loves photography and is fascinated by the beauty of ordinary landscapes and faces and the possibility of artistic beauty in unexpected places. (The images used in this website are all his own). He is interested in exploring the ways in which the mediums of writing, editing, content management systems and photography can come together to create more possibilities in storytelling to bring in the Horn of Africa. Ultimately, he wishes to work in a role that combines his various skills to advocate for the interest of vulnerable populations. 

Abdullahi Aress’s work has appeared or is forthcoming in various peer reviewed journals, including Lolwe, The New Contrast, down river road, Inklette, The Kalahari Review, The Northerner Magazine, Ellipsis & Debunked among others. Some of his favorite writers include Rilke, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Zadie Smith, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, James Baldwin, Susan Sontag, Teju Cole and Steven Dunn. He ran a successful blog from 2016 to 2019. One of his stories has been nominated for the Caine Prize in 2024 and he is working on his first book. 

He has participated in various writing workshops. He enjoys reading, soccer, travel, podcasts, nature walks and stand up comedy.

“Words are almost sacred things, because words, sounds have to do with breath, and can go deeper in us than the retina can ever do.”

—Abdal Hakim Murad

Get in touch.

I value your feedback. If you have anything you’d like to share or ask, please leave me a message by filling out the contact form below. You can also use the social handles at the bottom of this page. Or drop me a line at aressmohamed@gmail.com. Whichever is convenient for you!

 “All these weirdos, and me getting a little better every day right in the midst of them. I had never known, never even imagined for a heartbeat, that there might be a place for people like us.”

―Dennis Johnson