Amro Alkado

What was your favorite book as a child?

My favourite book as a child was Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, which was the first in the series I ever read. I was instantly captivated by the sense of wonder and escape it offered me at that time.

Growing up in difficult circumstances, and feeling very isolated culturally, the magical world of Hogwarts felt like a refuge. The darker tone of the story, the time travel, and the themes of resilience and loyalty stayed with me. It was a doorway into a different world where I could lose myself for hours. I reread that book more than a few times!

That early experience showed me how powerful stories can be, and it played a big part in shaping my love for reading and writing.

What was the original reason or motivation why you started writing creatively?

I was introduced to creative writing at school, but it was in high school that I really began to enjoy it. I had a teacher, Bill Duncan, who was a published Scots writer, and his encouragement made a huge difference to me.

He taught me to channel authenticity and culture into my writing, and to trust my own voice. From a young age, I developed a simple, concise style because I believe writing should be accessible and convey as much as possible with as little as possible. A literary hangover from the days of living under US sanctions.

Creative writing became a way for me to process experiences and explore memory and emotion. I especially enjoy both reading and writing flash nonfiction and narrative pieces, where small moments carry a lot of meaning.

What was the most adventurous or thrilling thing you ever did/experienced?

I’ve never been a thrill seeker in the traditional sense, and that is probably due to my unstable start in life, but some of the most adventurous moments in my life came from enforced change.

Moving from Iraq to the UK as a child meant leaving behind everything familiar and learning how to adapt to a completely new world. The language, culture, and everyday life were all different, and finding my place within that took time and resilience. At the time, it felt like a grand adventure.

Later on, writing became another kind of adventure. Sharing intimate stories about memory, identity, and difficult experiences means being open in ways that can feel risky. Sending work out into the world without knowing how it will be received requires a specific kind of courage.

Do you listen to music while reading or writing?

I need complete silence in order to focus! Silence helps me concentrate fully and stay connected to what I’m trying to express on the page.

When I’m reading or writing, I usually retreat to a quiet room on my own and often wear noise-cancelling headphones on top of that.

They’re one of my favourite pieces of technology for the silence they create. I find that any background noise, even gentle music, pulls me out of the flow.