From Cleveland to the page
Kariem Abdullah Rashid is a poet, an Air Force veteran and a proud son of Cleveland, Ohio. His first book, Meditation: Listen to Your Soul, came out in 2024.
Along the way
- Born Charles Albert Davis in Cleveland, Ohio
- Graduates from John Hay High School and joins the U.S. Air Force
- Cleveland and Miami, the two cities he calls his hometowns
- Publishes Meditation: Listen to Your Soul
- Shares his poetry with readers in Maryland, Virginia, DC and beyond
His story
Kariem was born Charles Albert Davis on November 20, 1950, in Cleveland, Ohio. He grew up on the city's East Side with his parents and four younger sisters, and he graduated from John Hay High School in 1970.
That November he joined the U.S. Air Force. His first time on an airplane was the flight to basic training at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas. Before he left, his father told him to stay out of harm's way, and his mother reminded him that he was her only son and should do what his daddy said.
He came of age in the years of Malcolm X, Martin Luther King Jr. and John F. Kennedy, and of the unrest that followed their deaths in Cleveland and cities across the country. Those years, and the people he has met since, shaped the patience, truth and responsibility at the heart of his poetry.
Today Kariem lives in Prince George's County, Maryland, where he shares his work with readers, book clubs and community groups.
Hear it from Kariem
Kariem talks about the book and the ideas behind it, in videos recorded at New Harbor Studio.
Meditation: Listen to Your SoulA full summary of the book, from Kariem.
- Prayer Fasting to Remove the Abuse
More on New Harbor Studio's YouTube channel.
Moments along the way
Invite Kariem to speak
Readings, talks and book club visits in Maryland, Virginia and DC, or anywhere by video.
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Letters from Kariem
New poems, reading dates and reflections, a few times a year.
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