Poets and writers
Mohamed Abdulkarim Ali (Maxamed Cabdikariin Cali)
Mohamed Abdulkarim Ali (born 1985) is a Somali-Canadian writer. He was born in Somalia, grew up partly in Abu Dhabi and moved to Canada as a youth. He wrote his memoir, Angry Queer Somali Boy (2019), while living in a shelter for homeless men in Toronto.
Mohamed Abdulkarim AliMaxamed Cabdikariin Cali
- Lived
- 1985 to today
- Known as one of
- Poets and writers
- Era
- The Republic, 1960 to 1991; Rebuilding without a state, 1991 to 2012; Who holds power, 2012 to now
- Sources
- 1 sources
Who is he?
Mohamed Abdulkarim Ali is a Somali-Canadian writer, born in Somalia in 1985 (Wikipedia, Mohamed Abdulkarim Ali). As a child he lived with his father's family in Abu Dhabi, and the family later applied for refugee status in the Netherlands before moving to Canada (same source). See Somali Canadians in public life.
The memoir
He wrote his first book, the memoir Angry Queer Somali Boy, while living in a shelter for homeless men in Toronto (Wikipedia). The book describes his struggles with drugs and alcohol after arriving in Canada (same source). The CBC included it in an article on important books about mental health and on its winter 2020 reading list, and The Advocate listed it among the best LGBTQ memoirs of 2019 (same source).
In short
A Somali-Canadian writer whose 2019 memoir, written in a Toronto shelter, was widely recommended in Canada.
Sources
- Wikipedia, Mohamed Abdulkarim Ali · en.wikipedia.org
Mohamed Abdulkarim AliMaxamed Cabdikariin Cali
- Lived
- 1985 to today
- Known as one of
- Poets and writers
- Era
- The Republic, 1960 to 1991; Rebuilding without a state, 1991 to 2012; Who holds power, 2012 to now
- Sources
- 1 sources
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Same era
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- DjiboutiAbout 13,900 refugees from Somalia live in Djibouti (Aug 2026): numbers since 1990, Ali Addeh, Holl-Holl, the 2017 refugee law, Arta 2000 and 2025 returns.
Keep reading
- Hadraawi (Maxamed Ibraahin Warsame), 1943 to 2022: the master of Somali speechHadraawi, Somali poet (1943 to 2022): his songs and poems, five years in prison from 1973, exile, the 2004 peace march, the Prince Claus Award and his legacy.
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- Gaarriye (Maxamed Xaashi Dhamac)Gaarriye (1949–2012): Hargeisa poet, starter of the Deelley poem chain, first to explain Somali metre, and voice of reconciliation.
- Nadifa Mohamed (Nadiifa Maxamed)Nadifa Mohamed, born 1981 in Hargeisa: author of Black Mamba Boy, The Orchard of Lost Souls and the Booker-shortlisted The Fortune Men.
- Warsan Shire (Warsan Shire)Warsan Shire, born 1988: British Somali poet, London's first Young Poet Laureate, Brunel Prize winner, and voice in Beyoncé's Lemonade.