Awet Fissehaye is a poet, writer, and lyricist born and raised in Eritrea. A lover of English literature and a firm believer in the power of words, he started to write poetry at an early age before studying English at the University of Asmara-Eritrea. He was the first recipient of the National Poetry Prize for Students in 2000. In 2007, he was arrested by Eritrean government security forces, tortured and kept in inhumane conditions for 14 months. In 2014, Awet left Eritrea for Sudan before continuing toward Europe through the Sahara Deseret and the Mediterranean Sea. Awet is an Honorary Member of English PEN and current Executive Director of PEN Eritrea in Exile. He has lived in exile in the United Kingdom since 2016.