Non-Essential Work

In this exciting follow-up to his acclaimed collection The Lost Arabs, award-winning poet Omar Sakr delves deep into his loves and losses to create a riveting literary experience. Asking questions of timeliness and timelessness, Non-Essential Work is a restless and relentless volume that showcases a poet unquestionably in his prime.

Omar Sakr is the author of two acclaimed poetry collections, These Wild Houses and The Lost Arabs. The Lost Arabs won the 2020 Prime Minister’ s Literary Award for Poetry and was shortlisted for the NSW Premier’ s Literary Award, the John Bray Poetry Award, the Judith Wright Calanthe Award, and the Colin Roderick Award. His first novel, Son of Sin, was published to acclaim in 2022. Omar is a widely published essayist and editor whose work has been translated into Arabic and Spanish. Born to Lebanese and Turkish Muslim migrants in Western Sydney, he lives there still. Omar Sakr is the author of two acclaimed poetry collections, These Wild Houses and The Lost Arabs. The Lost Arabs won the 2020 Prime Minister’ s Literary Award for Poetry and was shortlisted for the NSW Premier’ s Literary Award, the John Bray Poetry Award, the Judith Wright Calanthe Award, and the Colin Roderick Award. His first novel, Son of Sin, was published to acclaim in 2022. Omar is a widely published essayist and editor whose work has been translated into Arabic and Spanish. Born to Lebanese and Turkish Muslim migrants in Western Sydney, he lives there still.

I I Woke Up This Morning Every Time I Visit I Do Not Love Wasps Salaat Poem after Christchurch Postscript for Poem after Christchurch Dirt While Observing My Jido Hold Court at the Kitchen Table Iris Relevant to the Day What Distance Burns II On Finding the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) in Dante’ s Inferno Dancing in Full View of the Old Masters Terrorist Regards On Finding the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) in Dante’ s Inferno On Finding the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) in Dante’ s Inferno On Finding the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) in Dante’ s Inferno Relevant to the Day Relevant to the Day When the Veil Parts A Song of Love Uncovered Suppositions III When I Said Yes Ritual Scroll Love under Capitalism Redback Relevant to the Day Blessed Be This Sadness The Golden Hour in Unit Block 10 An Ode to My Future Son A Muslim, Christmas Inbox (1426) Sundown Buzzing IV Diary of a Non-Essential Worker Priest of Cheesy Fries Where I Am Not Stay Safe Relevant to the Day A Reimagining The Poems I Couldn’ t Write This Week On Finding the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) in Dante’ s Inferno On Finding the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) in Dante’ s Inferno Your People Your Problem No Context in a Duplex Draft My Enemies Need to Know Shiver V The Report Workshop: Borders Enough In the Wake of a Tragedy Things that Saved My Life Lately Love Poem for the Honeymoon Phase that Doesn’ t End On Finding the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) in Dante’ s Inferno Returning to Auburn, I Remember Fruit Confession For a Country that Cannot Keep Its Children Masks Off VI I Felt Like a Saint Chorus Little Fictions Rooted To Be Loved Like This Souvenir from Another Year Another Faith The Right Shoe Relevant to the Day On Finding the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) in Dante’ s Inferno On Finding the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) in Dante’ s Inferno Believe The Thing About Being in Love Is That Child Notes Acknowledgements