Birmingham born. Yemeni made. Globally rooted.
Amerah
Saleh
I work with words. Sometimes they end up on a stage, sometimes in a brand strategy, sometimes in a board paper. Same voice, different rooms. For over a decade I've been making art, building organisations and helping big institutions sound more human.
What I do
Four threads, one practice
01 Art
Write and perform
Spoken word, theatre, sound and projected text. Work about belonging, grief, womanhood and the places we carry.
- Poet and playwright
- Host and facilitator
- Commissions and residencies
02 Story
Brand and voice
Helping organisations tell the truth well. Grounded, human stories over corporate speak.
- Brand Lead, Oxfam GB
- Campaigns and comms
- Ethical content policy
03 Build
Produce and found
Turning ideas into teams, programmes and places for young and marginalised creatives to grow.
- Cofounder, More Than A Moment
- Cofounder, Verve Poetry Press
- A decade growing Beatfreeks
04 Lead
Govern and advise
Sitting at the table so the people usually missing from it are in the room too.
- Chair, Apples and Snakes
- Former board, Birmingham REP
- Former board, The Drum and Pangaea Poetry
Right now · November 2026
What I'm working on
Since 2025
Brand Lead at Oxfam GB
I lead on Oxfam's brand and tone of voice. I was previously Strategic Advisor to the CEO.
Since 2023
More Than A Moment
Cofounder leading strategy and engagement at a Birmingham createch agency and innovation lab working to end civic, cultural and economic inequality.
Since 2023
Chair, Apples and Snakes
Chairing the board of England's home of spoken word, after joining as a trustee in 2020.
In the writing room
A new play
Untitled, a play about grief and the Arab aunties who make room for it to happen.
On the page
Writing in public
Thought leadership on community, engagement, brand and tone of voice, alongside poetry, the arts sector and how marginalised communities get access. You'll find it in Alliance Magazine and my weekly LinkedIn blog series.
Always
Humanitarian giving
I fundraise and give wherever I can. I've built a mosque in Uganda and gone out to Egypt to support the Gaza response.
Selected work
A short record
- 2025
Mahad Ya Araf
A spoken word piece with music about grief and uncertainty, commissioned for the Bush Theatre Protest series.
- 2025 to 2026
Strategic advisor, HMx Labs
A year helping a tech driven team future proof new ideas with creativity and care.
- Recent
Red Line For Gaza
Calling on the UK Government to take action before any more red lines are crossed.
- 2023
Cofounded More Than A Moment
A creative agency and innovation lab rooted in Birmingham.
- 2021
Yemeni Female Poetry
One of four Yemeni women poets from the UK and Yemen brought together by Liverpool Arab Arts Festival for Yemen in Conflict.
- 2013 to 2021
Beatfreeks
Helped grow the youth insight agency from its early days into a full agency, from creative learning and campaigns to General Manager. Also Producer at Free Radical in 2018.
- 2018 to 2019
Yemen: Say Hello to Connect
Words and narration for an interactive artwork with FutureEverything, commissioned by Imperial War Museum North, plus workshops with British Yemeni young people.
- 2018
Commonwealth Games handover
Performed in the Birmingham 2022 handover at the Gold Coast closing ceremony, broadcast around the world.
- 2018
I Am Not From Here
My first poetry collection, published by Verve Poetry Press, the press I cofounded with Stuart Bartholomew.
- 2016 to 2020
Board, Birmingham REP
After a year as Resident Artist there in 2015.
- 2015
Youth 4 Excellence
Winner of the Art Award and the Overall Award.
Commissioned and presented by
A true great in the arts and social justice sector.
Matt Peacock
Work with me
Ways in
Commissions
New writing for stage, screen, galleries and moments that matter. Spoken word, sound and projected text.
Performing and hosting
Readings, festivals, conferences and conversations that feel like a kitchen table, not a panel.
Brand and story
Helping charities and purpose led teams find a voice that sounds like people, not press releases.
Strategy and advice
Programme design, funding, partnerships and future proofing for cultural, humanitarian and tech organisations.
Boards and governance
Chairing, trustee work and getting inclusive leadership right in practice.
Speaking and mentoring
Talks on culture, equity and storytelling, and support for artists building careers on their own terms.
Every booking gives back
When you book me, part of the fee goes straight to humanitarian work: emergency relief and support for people living through war and crisis. Your event does some good beyond the room.
Get in touch
Let's make something that lasts.
Tell me a bit about what you have in mind and I'll get back to you.