Ash Shawwa

THE STORY BEHIND THE WORDS

About Ash

Ash Shawwa is a Palestinian-American poet and author whose writing grew from a deeply personal search for expression, reflection, and peace.

Born in Kuwait in 1988, Ash came to the United States when he was two years old. Writing became an important part of his life as he navigated periods of severe depression and anxiety and, later, a diagnosis of bipolar disorder. Poetry became a release...a place to put thoughts and emotions that were often difficult to express, and a way to find moments of peace.

His journey as a poet began unexpectedly while visiting his father in the hospital. With a BlackBerry Curve in his hand, Ash wrote a simple four-line poem and labeled it “Number One.” The name proved fitting. One poem became another until nearly 1,000 poems had accumulated on the phone. Then, by accident, the BlackBerry was thrown away, and the collection disappeared with it.

Ash continued writing. When he moved to the iPhone, his poems began living in iCloud, allowing his work to follow him from one phone to the next. What had once existed on a single device became an evolving personal archive of different chapters, emotions, relationships, struggles, questions, and moments throughout his life.

Today, that archive contains more than 5,000 poetic pieces. Some are only a handful of lines; others span as many as 40 pages. Many may never see the light of day. Not everything Ash writes is intended for publication. Some pieces exist simply because, at a particular moment in his life, they needed to be written.

Long before The Fire Within, Ash had already begun sharing his poetry with readers. He self-published three books, including Depth of Darkness, which remains available on Amazon. Those earlier works represent different periods of his life and the writer he was becoming.

Years of writing eventually led to The Fire Within, a collection shaped by reflection, faith, relationships, struggle, hope, identity, and the quiet thoughts that often remain unspoken. Today, he continues that journey while working on his next collection, The Wisdom Within.

“The fire was only the beginning.”