About Me
Welcome
Ghazala Alam writes English and Urdu poetry, reflecting her experiences as a woman of color, an immigrant, and a practicing physician. She has recently published a book of her poems (On Being Human, Gatekeeper Press, 2024, ISBN No. 9781662937903).
Each chapter in the book has a preamble in English, the English and Urdu versions of the poem, as well as an English transliteration of the Urdu poem. Her poetry is aimed at a general English-speaking audience, especially those who have an interest in or affinity to the rich tradition of Urdu literary arts. Ghazala is the daughter of immigrants who left their home in India to establish a new homeland in Pakistan. Born in Hyderabad, Pakistan and raised and educated in Karachi, she grew up in a culture rich in Urdu language and literary arts. She fondly recalls her father reciting Iqbal’s Urdu and Persian poetry to her. She often accompanied her mother to Qawalli programs and enjoyed the devotional Sufi poetry. In her adult life, Ghazala has endured trials and tribulations with grit and resolve. Circumstances forced her as a young woman to first seek refuge in Europe and then in 1991 to start building a new life as an immigrant and a proud citizen of the US. As a practicing physician, she has seen the torment of an Alzheimer’s patient, the helplessness of someone facing terminal cancer, and the inertia of a depressed mind. It is the many experiences of joy and grief, her own as well as of those around her, that inspire Ghazala to write Urdu poetry and to express the same literary style in her English poetry. She says, “my losses and struggles are what have made me into a poet.
My Story
What made me a poet?
What is my poetry about?
Is my poetry reflective of the rich heritage of my parents?
Does it speak about my diverse cultural experiences?
Does it talk about my fight against oppression?
Does it share my pain of saying goodbye to my loved ones?
Or
Does it say all of the above?
Grateful
Ghazala’s parents left their home in British India to help build Pakistan to secure a better future for their family.
Cosmopolitan
Accepting
Healer
Survivor 1989
Self reliant
Visionary
Independent
Bridge Builder
Empathetic
Empathetic
A Voice Behind the Words
Plight Of an Alzheimers Patient
الزھائیمر کے مریض کی صدا
Never
نہیں
Life is a Dance
زندگی ایک رقص ہے
Organizations I Support





