UC student explores war, aftermath, healing through poetry

When the sun finally sets, the world grows quieter, but also more revealing. Night is when most people return home, settle in with family and begin to unwind. Yet it’s also a time when the darkness can reveal what daylight would never unveil. 

During that time, UC Ph.D student Hussain Ahmed can be found writing stories about the punishing cycle of grief that soldiers, families and civilians endure after violence and war. “There’s a spiritual element,” he said. “Some poems reference khalwa, a Sufi spiritual practice done in isolation or darkness. Darkness represents perspective, spirituality, culture, and metaphor for me.” 

Ahmed, a student in the College of Arts & Sciences’ creative writing program, titled the collection of poems "Crossroad Mirror." He calls these poems “a mirror,” reflecting personal memories, stories he’s gathered, and the ongoing realities of war in northern Nigeria. But the “crossroad,” he said, points to something unresolved — an acknowledgment that these conflicts and their consequences are still unfolding.

Born in Nigeria, Ahmed’s passion for the environment, storytelling and learning is what has guided his schooling across the country. He first studied textile engineering, then ecology and environmental studies, before earning an MFA in poetry from the University of Mississippi. Those fields have always been intertwined and that didn’t stop in Cincinnati. 

“What unites everything I study is my love for the environment,” Ahmed said. “Even in my MFA, my poems often reference water, ecology, and environmental metaphors.”

That combination of lived experience, spiritual history and environmental insight is what shaped "Crossroad Mirror," which explores how wars ripple across different landscapes — grassland, woodland and coastline — and the lives of people trying to survive it. 

Said Jay Twomey, divisional dean for the humanities: “Students from around the world have their own important stories to tell, and everyone benefits from hearing them,” he said. “It’s important we understand what global experiences of migration, war, and displacement mean for those living through them.”

Writing about the aftermath

While public attention centers on the war itself, Ahmed is more concerned with what follows — the scar and pain left after the wound.

“The present moment of tragedy is evil, but the aftermath is worse,” he said. “Families trying to cope, veterans abandoned, psychological wounds— those stories often go untold.”

The book is partly inspired by a soldier close to Ahmed’s family, Officer Saka, to whom he dedicates the collection. A major focus is the limited assistance the military receives from the government. Soldiers can spend up to a year on the frontlines yet earn only a few days of leave, while their families rely on stipends that often aren’t enough to sustain them. 

Veterans in Nigeria also struggle to get the support they need; many live with disabilities, face homelessness, or are unfairly dismissed from service.

“People talk about war but ignore those living with the consequences,” he added. “I want justice for their sacrifices.” 

Finding hope in a turbulent world

With conflicts surrounding violence and displacement making headlines across the globe, "Crossroad Mirror" arrives at a moment where the stories of ordinary people need to be discovered. Ahmed hopes the book sparks conversations — on campus and beyond —about the very human impact of wars. 

Twomey said work like Ahmed’s reminds readers of what humanists make possible. “Poetry implies a requirement to focus on nuance and ambiguity in language — which is at the heart of what so many of us in humanities do,” he said. “It brings us close to the worlds of others, or the world as others experience it.”  

If the book helps one person see the humanity behind the statistics, that's hope.

Hussain AhmedUC PhD candidate and poet

“Poetry gives power to the powerless,” Ahmed echoed. “It lets people speak loudly when they are usually unheard.” 

Despite covering heavy subjects, the book is filled with moments of resilience and optimism. Ahmed not only sees the collection as a place for stories to live on but also a guide toward healing.  

“Hope begins by recognizing wounds and sacrifices,” he said. “If the book helps one person see the humanity behind statistics, that’s hope.”

How UC supports humanities

Ahmed praises UC’s English department and Cincinnati’s literary community for giving him the continued support and space needed to write.

He regularly participates in local readings downtown and works closely with his advisor, award-winning poet Felcia Zamora. UC’s Graduate Enrichment grant funded his recent trip to Nigeria, where he is continuing to write, research and explore his interests more.  

“UC has institutional support — mentorship, motivation, resources,” he said. “Faculty [gives]  feedback on manuscripts. The funding gives me time to write. It’s everything a graduate student hopes for.”

Twomey said support for student writers and artists isn’t just an academic value — it reflects UC’s broader mission. “Humanities and the arts are often underfunded and lack general support,” he said. “And yet nearly everyone, including those who might not value a humanities education, count on writers and artists every day.” 

He added that uplifting emerging voices like Ahmed’s is essential:  “If you want the entertainments that you value, and that sustain you, to thrive, then you must support writers and artists, including especially the young people who want to hone their skills as writers.”

Featured image at top: Night sky with city below.