Elamin Abdelmahmoud (born March 10, 1988) is a Canadian writer, culture and politics commentator, and broadcaster based in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

. He is best known as a culture writer for

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and as a

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podcast and network radio host. In November 2022 the CBC announced that Abdelmahmoud would debut on January 30, 2023, as the host of '' Commotion'', a daily pop culture magazine show which airs after '' Q'' weekday mornings.

Early life and education

Abdelmahmoud was born in

Sudan Sudan, officially the Republic of the Sudan, is a country in Northeast Africa. It borders the Central African Republic to the southwest, Chad to the west, Libya to the northwest, Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the east, Eritrea and Ethiopi ...

and emigrated to Canada at the age of 12, settling in

Kingston, Ontario Kingston is a city in Ontario, Canada, on the northeastern end of Lake Ontario. It is at the beginning of the St. Lawrence River and at the mouth of the Cataraqui River, the south end of the Rideau Canal. Kingston is near the Thousand Islands, ...

. He studied philosophy and gender studies at Queen's University, graduating in 2011. As a student at Queen's he wrote for the ''Queen’s Journal'' and worked at CFRC-FM, the campus radio station. In 2018, Abdelmahmoud was awarded the One to Watch Award by the Queen's Alumni Association.

Career

Abdelmahmoud's career began as a production assistant at the CBC. He began working as researcher for '' George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight'' in 2012 before joining ''The National'' as a researcher and editorial assistant. He left the CBC to join TVO, where he worked as a social for TVO's '' The Agenda''. Abdelmahmoud joined

in 2015 and took over writing BuzzFeed's morning newsletter in 2018. His inspirational newsletter signoffs gained widespread popularity, resulting in merchandise featuring his well wishes to readers. Abdelmahmoud has been a panelist on ''The National'' and is a regular guest on other CBC programs. In 2019 Abdelmahmoud began co-hosting the political podcast ''Party Lines'' with Canadian political journalist Rosemary Barton. He began hosting ''Pop Chat'' in 2020. The same year he joined the '' Podcast Playlist'' as the program's new host. As a long-form writer, Abdelmahouhd has written about culture and politics for publications including '' Chatelaine'', ''

Maclean's ''Maclean's'' is a Canadian magazine founded in 1905 which reports on Canadian issues such as politics, pop culture, trends and current events. Its founder, publisher John Bayne Maclean, established the magazine to provide a uniquely Canadian ...

'' and ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

''. He is also known for writing about race as it pertains to music and social life including interviews with Yola, Rhiannon Giddens, and

Jason Isbell Michael Jason Isbell ( ; born February 1, 1979) is an American singer-songwriter and actor. One of the most celebrated contemporary songwriters in his genre, his lyrics are defined by their raw emotional honesty. Isbell began his career as a me ...

about racism in country music and the whiteness of the Canadian cottage industry. Abdelmahmoud's first book ''Son of Elsewhere: A Memoir in Pieces'' was published by Random House in 2022. The book draws on his experience identifying as Arab as a child only to be defined as Black after arriving in Canada.

Personal life

Abdelmahmoud lives in Toronto with his wife, Emily, and their daughter Amna Eliot.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Abdelmahmoud, Elamin CBC Radio hosts Black Canadian broadcasters Sudanese emigrants to Canada Queen's University at Kingston alumni Living people 21st-century Canadian memoirists 21st-century Canadian male writers Canadian male non-fiction writers Black Canadian non-fiction writers Canadian talk radio hosts Black Canadian journalists 1988 births