Ola Husamou

Ola Husamou is a Syrian children's book author, poet, writer, playwright, musician, and coach. She holds a bachelor's degree in media from the University of Damascus. Her creative works explore issues of human rights, peace, freedom, women’s stories, the erotic, and nature.

Husamou has published poetry and articles for various newspapers and magazines both inside and outside Syria since 2007, including in Al-Adab, Geiroon, and the Journal of Poetry Movement. She has written numerous children’s books including The Dancing Octopus, When Grandfather Drowns, A White Paper and a Color Box, Not Just a Cloud, Fadi’s New Headphones, The Artist’s Cat Kharboush, as well as several children’s plays and musicals, among them Dream and Pinkizariz’ Friends. She has written and directed theater for adults (Bag Play) and acted in the Europe American New Line play. She published three poetry collections: 'Where Nobody' (Journal of Poetry Movement, 2013), 'Feather of a Blue Dream' -(Khawabi Digital Magazine, 2014) and 'Late dinner under my skin' (Dar Kanaan Publishing, 2019.)

In 2013, she wrote and prepared the children’s radio program 'Our Story is a Story Grandpa' for Sawt Raya radio. The year after, she released her first album, Human Cry, a call for peace and non-violence, for which she wrote the lyrics, composed the music and sang.

Husamou has worked as editor and writer for several children’s magazines (among them Khotwat Saghira, Zawraq, Fares Al Ghad, Osama, Al Arabi Al Saghir).She has also worked in the humanitarian field and conducts trainings for childhood protection, case management, building bridges for peace and non-violence, interactive theater, storytelling, puppet theater, and creative writing.

In 2019, Husamou took up an ICORN residency in the Swedish city of Eskilstuna. To learn more about her work, you can follow her on Instagram or Facebook.