Selim-a Atallah Chettaoui
Poet and performer
I am delighted for this opportunity to immerse myself in Colombo’s Lakmahal Library. I am sure it will allow me to dive deep into myself and my work, becoming permeable to a new energy with its scents, habits, people. I am eager to see something as simple as an encounter with a stranger or stumbling upon a book I knew nothing opens whole new worlds and see those new experiences make their way into my writing, become things I carry with me always.
Selim-a Atallah Chettaoui lives in Paris but grew up in Tunisia. Their work thrives in the in-between, merging languages and media to explore fresh ways of bringing poetry to life and connecting identity and socio-political issues. They released their debut poetry collection with 10 pages au carré in 2022, and Au Pieu was published by La Contre Allée in 2025. Passionate about performance, Selim-a showcases their work in art and literary venues and electro nights. They will be releasing their first electro-poetic EP in 2026. They organize events with many collectives such as fœhn in Paris and Xeno~ in Brussels.
