I want to become a prophet

This collection supports and promotes awareness to the important mission and framework of the Al-Mutanabbi Street Starts Here Coalition's focus on the lasting power of the written word and the arts in support of the free expression of ideas, the preservation of shared cultural spaces, and the importance of responding to attacks, both overt and subtle, on artists, writers, and academics working under oppressive regimes or in zones of conflict, despite the destruction of that literary/cultural content. "The artist's book, 'I want to become a prophet' links my current work in other media with the name of the street, Al-Mutanabbi. The street name refers to the great medieval Iraqi poet, Al-Mutanabbi (915-965), whose name actually means, 'the one who wanted to become a prophet.' Al-Mutanabbi's nickname is also related to the poet's rather arrogant sense of pride and tendency to boast, even in his verses, as well as his personal political ambitions. His poetry, in fact, often deals with acts of courage, panegyrics, and battles, and his own death (he was killed in a conflict) is possibly linked to his sense of superiority. In 'I want to become a prophet, ' photographs of different 'famous