In the past, Shenoda has said what drew him to literature was an “intellectual curiosity to explore history, culture, and diasporic roots.” He is the author of three acclaimed poetry collections: Somewhere Else (Coffee House Press), winner of a 2006 American Book Award; Seasons of Lotus, Seasons of Bone (BOA Editions Ltd.), and Tahrir Suite: Poems (TriQuarterly Books/Northwestern University Press), which won the 2015 Arab American Book Award.