Meet Seddik Jelouane | Poet & Published author

We had the good fortune of connecting with Seddik Jelouane and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Seddik, let’s start by talking about what inspires you?
This may come as a cliche, but I honestly find every single thing in life inspiring, whether it brings me joy or causes more pain. I try to teach myself how to embrace and grow with whatever feeling that is, then translate it into the language I am most comfortable using, which is poetry. However, if you read my poems you would notice that I get pulled back to my past more than the present or even future, so in that sense you could say aging has a big impact on my writing.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
When I think of poetry I think of freedom. So my writing journey has started as a protest against rules I was taught at school, because according to my teachers each poem is supposed to speak of one perspective rather than many, which most readers believe is what the poet tries to describe. As a poet myself I do not wish for others to limit the possibilities of what they understood and what my poems literally mean. I’m not solving a math problem, in fact I am bad at math. My job is to write what I feel, and yours is to interpret that however it makes you feel.

I am proud of breaking the hierarchy of being not only a first-generation college graduate, but also a writer in a foreign language. English is my third language, or as I like to refer to it as my “escape language”.

It’s never easy choosing a different path, let alone standing out of generations. When I got my BA I was still lost, I had no idea what my next step should be, so I tried everything just to find something to hold on to and be in the safe zone. I taught at schools, I did freelancing, and even worked in a car company. But none of them represented who I am. I kept looking, until one day I saw an announcement of an internship at an American cultural space “Dar America”. I applied and was lucky enough to get picked among hundreds of applicants, then started a poetry club where people came together to read and discuss poetry, but the reach was limited. That’s when I thought of an online community “Moroccan Poets” for a wider audience. It was a life-changing experience, the push I personally needed to carry on my writing journey. Later on I came across an open call for a creative writing camp organized by the Olive Writers, although I was hesitant to participate, the feedback I received on my poems from people online encouraged me to give it a shot and so I did. One week around writers like myself was enough to help me reflect on my entire life, and decide the next move. I wanted to work with them. This year I was thrilled to have taken part in the fourth edition of TOW creative writing camp as a staff member.

It has been a long drive, and I can’t begin to count how many times I thought about making a stop, but with the support of people I chose to surround myself with, those stops became short turns and I kept moving.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Casablanca is a generous city, so huge and scary at times, but very welcoming. My go-to spot is the Arab League park, right next to the Sacred Heart Cathedral. The number of poems I have written in that place is just out of count. Also, you can’t visit Casablanca without going to Hassan II mosque; one of the largest mosques in the world, yet the most interesting part is that it was partly built over the sea, such a poetic view. Food-wise I would recommend the old Medina, where you can try all kinds of Moroccan traditional dishes. If you are a fan of history and architecture you would definitely enjoy a walk downtown to witness the European touches in Casablanca’s streets.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Big shoutouts to Dar America and The Olive Writers for helping me not only discover and improve myself, but also sharing my journey with other writers along the way.

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Image Credits
Kenza Beladel & Mohamed Morchidi