About
poet / lawyer / teacher / storyteller
I was born in Tehran in 1977, to an Iranian mother and Iraqi father. Before America, there was Karachi and the outskirts of London. Then came the heat of Houston.
I carried poetry with me through the hills of Mt. Tamalpais to the streets of San Francisco and the alleys of New York City. I have swum in Portuguese water, walked the sands of Albufeira, passed out beneath the Baja sun, danced in Oklahoma and loved in Texas. Albuquerque. Sioux City. Boise. Some places became partial homes. I wrote poems in all of them.
I now make my home in Seattle.
I publish poetry as Mohammad Ali Niazmand, a name I use to honor my mother. My collections include Having a Big Day, Change of Atmosphere, Wizard Poisonings, The Garden of Earthly Delights, and Omar Poems.
My legal work has taken me from federal public defense to my current role as a partner at Stritmatter Law. I also teach trial advocacy at Seattle University School of Law and co-host The Velvet Hammer podcast.
Poetry has given me a way to understand my own life. The law has given me a way to serve others, and that ritual of service has helped me get out of my own head.
My mother, whose name I carry into my poetry as Mohammad Ali Niazmand.
In Seattle, 2026.
In Tehran, before we left.