Root/25, a new East London coffee house and bookstore, is pleased to invite you to celebrate the launch of Jamal Mehmood’s collection The Leaf of the Neem Tree.

Known for their bitter taste, neem leaves have been used for centuries in South Asian traditional medicine. Weaving free verse and ghazal, English with Urdu, this impeccable collection deals in the alchemy of introspection—the quietness of loss, longing, memory and spirituality.

Come along to enjoy a reading and Q&A with the author over tea and coffee, as well as the chance to get your book signed. All Root/25 profits go back towards supporting marginalised communities through the charity Restless Beings.

Jamal Mehmood is a London-based poet, writer and filmmaker whose work has been featured by the BBC, Magma, Popula, Hikaayat and Media Diversified. His film Muriid was released in 2021 by the Institute of Contemporary Arts and the BBC as part of the New Creatives scheme.