The Epic of Cader Idris
The debut full-length collection, including the Geoffrey Dearmer Prize-winning poem.
Poet · Musician · Editor · Educator
Samatar Elmi
Writing and music shaped by diaspora, myth, language, neurodivergence and speculative futures.
Samatar Elmi is an award-winning writer and musician whose work moves between poetry, performance, sound, education and editorial practice.
Now
Touring nationally throughout 2026 with three concurrently published collections, followed by new poetry and theatre work in 2027.
Read the full biographySelected praise
Words on the work
Responses to Samatar Elmi’s poetry and music.
“Radical wordplay”
Philip Gross
“Immediately striking”
CAConrad
“Brilliant, subversive, surreal”
Warsan Shire
“Utterly beguiling”
GoldFlakePaint
Selected work
Across page, stage and record
Recent books, new collections and music released as Knomad Spock.
A year of new poetry
Agen Bien Fou, Reclamations: Disregard Prior Prompt and 26 Poems for Cash.
Music and collaborations
Albums, live sessions and collaborations spanning folk, hip-hop, spoken word and experimental sound.
On tour
Next dates
The 2026 national tour continues through London, Bristol, Belfast, Swansea, Liverpool, Manchester, Oxford, Rochester and beyond.
Mason & Fifth
LondonExchange
BristolNative
BelfastWork with Samatar
Learning, mentoring and creative development
Begin with a free reflective resource, explore the developing asynchronous course or choose focused one-to-one support.
The Practice Compass
A purpose workbook for writers and performers examining values, authenticity, audience, lineage and the role of the work.
Neurodiversity & the Creative Process
A developing asynchronous course with a free taster available now.
Mentoring & services
Creative process and neurodiversity mentoring, manuscript support and music executive production.
Archive
Images, process and performance
A growing visual archive organised across analog photography, collaborations, creative process, installations, performances and portraits.