Feature Friday - Zaynab Mohammed
Name
Zaynab Mohammed
Pronouns
She/Her
Bio
Zaynab Mohammed is a Lebanese, Iraqi and Palestinian award-winning poet, author, performer, visual artist and filmmaker. She was born on the coast of BC and now lives in Tiohtià:ke, colonially known as Montréal, Quebec, with her dog Threshold.
Since 2020, Zaynab’s artistic practice has revolved around the theme of ‘listening’. What is listening? Where do we listen from? How do we listen? When do we listen? Why do we listen? These questions became her gateway into writing and producing her first 60-minute one-woman show, titled, Are You Listening?, which was later adapted into a book with Pownal Street Press.
Since 2023, Zaynab has performed her show over 20 times, in BC and most recently, at the Montreal Fringe Festival. Are You Listening? was nominated for two awards at the 2026 Montreal Fringe Festival for: best storytelling and best English script.
Her two newest projects, Poem Booth: The Podcast and Rural Stories from the SWANA diaspora are a significant pivot in Zaynab’s career. In these projects, she has created space for others to tell their story. You can find these episodes on YouTube.
Visual art played an uplifting role for Zaynab in the past years. She painted 3-murals: Olive Tree Womxn (Nelson Museum Archives & Gallery), Mandala Mural (Artisan Store, Lebanon) and our grandmothers garden, in collaboration with Smokii Sumac (900 block Edgewood ave Nelson BC. Nelson & District Arts Council).
Zaynab’s work has been published with Pownal Street Press, Moniker Press, The Rising Phoenix Review, The Black Bear Review, Peace Chronicles, and Elephant Journal. She has been part of publications for ‘From The Heart’ projects and most recently ‘Passport of Witness’, an anthology of stories from Palestinians in the diaspora.
These days you can find Zaynab in different parts of the city with her poem booth, where she writes people custom poems, on the spot, about anything they want, on her baby blue typewriter and portable desk!
Instagram
@poemsbyzaynab
Website
www.zaynabmohammed.com
Photo by Bobbi Barbarich
Where in Montreal are you located?
Hochelaga
What do you love about your neighborhood?
Everything! The green space for dog walks, the long blocks with big trees, the quiet evenings.
What’s your favourite art space in Montreal and why?
I am new to Montreal. Only been here for 1 year. I don't have a favourite art space yet, but if I had to choose, I would say by the river is quite a magical art space. Nature knows whatsup!
Describe your art in your own words.
I am an storyteller with a message. Since childhood I have been observing everything around me, while questioning the world within me. I have paid a heavy price for embarking on such a journey. This is why I am a blunt, honest and straightforward person. There is no time for make-believe or delusion. My artistic practice celebrates and honours my ancestors, humanity and our beloved home - the earth.
What drew you to writing?
Writing has been something I have loved since I was a child. I loved books, and stories and as soon as I could hold a pencil and write a sentence, I began my journey of writing!
What have you been working on recently?
This summer I have been all over the city with my POEM BOOTH. It's something I have been doing for 12 years. I set up a portable desk, my typewriter, a sign that says: Your Topic, Your Price, and off I go connecting with people and writing them poems about anything they'd like, on the spot!
How would you describe your voice?
My voice is grounded, clear and strong. Sometimes not saying anything is just as powerful as saying something. How we speak can be more potent than what we say. Where we speak from, who we honour in our speaking, is equally as important.
Where do you find your inspiration?
I am more driven than inspired. This life is an opportunity to be who we are and not who the world wants us to be. Who I am is what inspires me. The life I have lived. The life I wish to live. But really, the lives of those who made it possible for me to be here, as I am. I am indebted to them and want to make them proud. I trust what moves me, and will let that take me wherever is needed.
Describe your writing process.
So many kinds of writing I do. Writing is getting thoughts, ideas, and feelings onto a page. It is sorting things out. It is seeing what feels like a mess inside with clarity when it comes out and looks back at you. For me, writing is a profound way to explore my imagination, curiosities, insights, visions and dreams. Sometimes writing one word says it all. Sometimes writing hundreds is needed. It doesn't make sense, until it does. So I keep writing.
Who are some of your favorite writers?
Maya Angelou - Khalil Gibran - My peers
What do you love about Montreal's literary scene?
Again, I am new here, so I cannot really speak to this yet. I need more time to be here in it before I can comment.
