This book has taken a long time writing. Amerah has long been a fundamental part of the burgeoning Birmingham poetry scene – producing, mentoring, making things happen in the city. She is a wise old poetry head in the body of a young woman. She has rarely put her own incredible poetry first. And yet here it is, in book form at last. I Am Not From Here is a collection that twists and turns through the complexities of being Birmingham born but of Yemeni decent and culture; of being Muslim in a city of mixed faiths and in a country of little faith; of spending time in Yemen only to find that as a result you are refused entry to other countries and have forgotten how to live in yours; of losing loved ones too young (and when are we ever old enough for that?); of being split between the language and words of two tongues, and often finding that neither has the words you need; of facing hatred for acts that were none of your doing, and inner turmoil as your mind and body seek the solace and c