West 24th Street (Lulu Press, 2022) Debut poetry collection exploring the relationship of location on immigration, Blackness, and grief.

Praise for West 24th Street

There is something so personal about West 24th Street. Sometimes I was able to invoke meaning into the words, and understand the poem as a narrative, a story, a secret Shams Alkamil seems to be whispering into the public. Other times, I felt the poem before its meaning could reach my mind. There is something within these poems that touches you soul to soul (and I don’t say that lightly). Seeing the word from the eyes of a Black Muslim Woman is startling, humbling, and worthy of reflection. Alkamil’s poems shine light on the beauty of everyday life, and the simplicity (and complexity) of our humanity. Whether it’s friendships, loss, love, faith, Alkamil writes about it with a vulnerability that reflects in the reader. The poems no doubt mean something very deep and profound to their talented writer, but they meant something entirely different, yet equally as important, to me as I read them. They will mean something different to you, they will challenge you to see beauty and the magic of your humanity wherever you go.

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*starred review, GoodReads