Bio

Born by the sea in Brighton, UK to Afghan parents, Yusuf Misdaq (also known as ‘Yoshi’) has been described as a “spectral presence” in the music-scene, and no-less than a “mystic” in poetry, receiving rave reviews for his multi-genre work from art and music magazines like The WIRE, Hip-Hop Connection as well as coverage from NPR, BBC, PRI and others. Working quietly and consistently ‘under the radar,’ his creative output is extensive to say the least, with 10 books, 3 solo LP’s and numerous video, documentary film and multi-media art projects already under his belt.

As well as gaining an MA in documentary film-making from the University of London, Misdaq has also worked as media relations officer for the Embassy of Afghanistan  in Washington DC (during the reigns of both George W. Bush and Barack Obama); more recently he was in Benghazi Libya, where he served as a producer/director for Democracy Now! at the outset of the civilian uprising. He has taught Creative Writing classes at the University of Brighton (UK) and more recently at NYU in the States.

He currently resides in New York City where he is editing his third novel ‘The Steep Ascent’ (UpSet Press, 2013) as well as promoting his new series of poetry books.

Misdaq’s inimitable writing style, at once both ultra-contemporary and timeless, is heavily informed by a serious and deep relationship with hip-hop music, folk traditions, Islamic philosophy and mysticism; some notable influences include Miles Davis, Sun Ra, Pharaoh Sanders, Bill Laswell, Ishmael Butler, Takeshi Kitano, Hirokazu Kore-eda, Octavio Paz, Ernest Hemmingway, Suzi Gablik, Leo Tolstoy and Tarjei Vesaas.

Short statement:

My work across mediums has the unapologetic and direct aim of connecting people with themselves and each other. The general idea is to remove my-self from the equation as much as possible, not only in creating my work (where inspiration is obviously more received than self-generated) but also in the publicity for that work. Each project stands by its own merits, and indeed, some projects have been done anonymously. I harness primal/’primitive’ arts such as story-telling, music, sound, poetry, drawing and oil painting, as well as more contemporary art forms (digital art, observational documentary, film). Across these mediums and genres there runs a commitment to the quotidian (read: symbolic) elements of existence, expressed with reference to Islamic mysticism, Hip-Hop and popular culture, as well as cultural and philosophical observation; the resulting work is often highly experimental/improvisational by nature, sometimes employing imaginative re-interpretations / re-appropriations and nearly always inclusive of the process. I like to make things free.

Sources:
Wikipedia.org Ishmaelites blog Foreword to 'The Beautiful / Palace Prayers'