Ahmad Al-Ashqar is a nomadic, romantic, obsessive Palestinian-American poet, translator, and educator. He was born in Kuwait, but soon after his birth, at the start of the Gulf War, his family was displaced first to Jordan and then to the United States. He spent much of his life in Chicago, where he remained close to his traditions and roots in a large, thriving Palestinian community. Ahmad first fell in love with language through rap music and spoken word, before discovering his love for written poetry. After graduating from the University of Illinois at Chicago, he moved to Dubai to teach English, before returning to the U.S. to complete an MFA in Creative Writing at the New School. He now lives in Chicago.