Poet Laureate · National Champion · Educator
Ahmed “Knowmadic” Ali
I’m a spoken word poet and educator from Edmonton. I arrived here at eight with no English. Twenty-five years later, the city named me its 7th Poet Laureate. Now I spend my days in classrooms, on stages and in council chambers, helping people find the words they already carry.
Photo courtesy of Dickinsfield Public School
Edmonton’s 7th Poet Laureate, 2017-2019
2011 Canadian Spoken Word Champion
Edmonton Top 40 Under 40, 2017
Co-founder, Breath In Poetry, 2009
Edmonton’s 7th Poet Laureate, 2011 Canadian Spoken Word Champion, Edmonton Top 40 Under 40, and co-founder of Breath In Poetry.
What I do
Ways to work together.
Who is Knowmadic?
From Mogadishu to Poet Laureate.
I was born in Mogadishu, Somalia. My family fled the civil war when I was a young child, spent time in Italy, and came to Canada in 1992. Today I’m a spoken word artist and educator, and I’ve served my city on boards and committees.
My name joins two words: knowledge and nomadic.
- Canadian Spoken Word Champion, 2011
- Edmonton’s 7th Poet Laureate, 2017-2019
- Former board member, Alberta Law Enforcement Review Board (appointed July 2018)
- Edmonton Arts Council Equity Committee Chair, 2014–2017
- International work in Canada, the USA, the UK, and Sudan
Know More. Roam More.
Knowmadic = knowledge + nomadic.
Nomadic
My father’s family were nomads: people who move, cross borders and carry their history with them.
Poet Laureate
The city’s poet, 2017 to 2019.
For two years I wrote and read for Edmonton: at City Council, at proclamations, in classrooms and community halls. The job was to make poetry part of how the city talks to itself.
Recognition
Milestones.
2017-2019
Edmonton’s 7th Poet Laureate
Selected work
Poems, recordings and anthologies.
What I’ve written and recorded, and the books my poems appear in.
Poetry and spoken word
My signature poem, Knowmadic, and my spoken word pieces.
Recorded music
An album and singles, from Smoke Detector on Bandcamp to Throwback in 2019.
Published contributions
My poems in The Great Black North (2013) and AfriCANthology (2022).
In their words
What a teacher said.
Ahmed Knowmadic has the rare ability to inspire students! For the past three years, Ahmed has come to Jasper Place High School to conduct poetry workshops for my students with amazing results; without exception, students felt empowered enough to share their poetry with their peers!
Read more educator and organizer voices on the testimonials page.
For educators
Planning a visit, or teaching poetry yourself.
Ready to work together?
Let’s work together.
A keynote, a workshop, a school residency, a performance or consulting: tell me what you need and I’ll get back to you.