My name is Erin Thomas. I have been an avid student of poetry since 2001, exploring different approaches, voices and poetic forms such as the sonnet, villanelle, ghazal, and others—including free verse. For me, poetry is much more than a mere gushing of personal feelings and opinions; it is unequivocally an art involving metaphor, imagery, allusion, structure, and syntax.

I hold a lifelong love of learning and exploration, which I’ve pursued through hardship and poverty, and which I continue to pursue through life. Toward this end, I continue to experiment broadly with poetry and poetics, holding my work to ever higher standards. I’m not a proponent of imagism, symbolism, surrealism, formalism, or any other particular school, yet I study and explore all such disciplines in depth and incorporate them into an ever emergent style.

“Zahhar” is a pseudonym I’ve used on and off since 1992, when I had a dream where a being made of light told me this was my “true name.” I’ve ever since tried to in some way incorporate this name into my life. Though I publish my work online under Zahhar, any books I produce are published under my given name.