Amal Thommil

Reflecting the themes of his poems, Amal emphasizes finding connections in the dichotomies around us, balancing introspection and emotion, science and logic, and faith and religion. Outside of writing, Amal is a consultant working in cancer diagnostics and non-invasive blood-based testing in oncology, with a Bachelor’s in Bioengineering (2021) from UCLA. He enjoys learning new things and exploring creative outlets both inside and outside, with a second-degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do and hobbies such as wood whittling, pyrography, 2D needle-felting, and epoxy resin casts.

One of his favorite quotes that his pieces often reference is one from Beau Taplin: “We are all so desperate to be understood, we forget to be understanding.”