Iraqi poets reclaim streets
The House of Poetry, established by several Iraqi poets in 2009, brings modern poetry to the people through posters and graffiti.
A cultural organization formed by Iraqi poets is reaching young Iraqis in university campuses, cafes and the streets. The director of the House of Iraqi Poetry, Hossam al-Saray, told Al-Monitor that over the last 12 months his organization has set up a series of campus and street events to promote social progress and resistance to archaic customs through the work of contemporary poets.
The project started a year ago at several university campuses to expose students to Iraqi poets such as Sargon Boulus, Jean Dammu and Siham Jabbar. Their humanistic style, said Saray, contrasts sharply with folk poetry, which often presents sectarian views.
