About

Thank you for taking the time to consider my work.

I am a committed and principled advocate who has dedicated my life to advancing the rights and dignity of marginalized and underserved communities. With a deep-rooted sense of justice and a consistent track record of delivering on my commitments, I have earned a reputation as a dependable and relentless force for change.

A native New Yorker, raised across all five boroughs, I proudly identify as a champion for working people and those unable or unwilling to speak up for their rights and dignity. My lived experience in the city has instilled in me a profound respect for resilience, solidarity, and the urgency of meaningful, community-driven change. These values guide my professional pursuits and inspire my engagement with the law.

My passion for legal advocacy is grounded in a vision of universal human rights—rights that are not only aspirational but actively codified and enforced through local and international legislation. I believe in the transformative power of law when wielded as a tool for justice, accountability, and structural change.

Over the past two decades, I have worked with a wide range of institutions, including international NGOs, governmental bodies, and grassroots relief organizations. My fieldwork spans Haiti, Cuba, Israel, Palestine, Egypt, Turkey, Iraq, Lebanon, and Syria—regions marked by complex crises and deep humanitarian need. These experiences have sharpened my understanding of geopolitics, public health, and emergency response, while reinforcing my commitment to global solidarity.

In addition to my advocacy work, I have proudly served for over 21 years in the Emergency Medical Services (EMS), where I continue to uphold a standard of care, discipline, and courage under pressure. This service reflects my lifelong dedication to public health and frontline crisis response.

My name is Walter Sebastian Adler, writing under several pseudonyms including Adler S Walt, Zachariah Arstien Artesh, Abu Yazan, and Kawa Zivistan. I am a New York City-born author of underground samizdat novels—PDF circulars widely circulated on social media, though not yet commercially published. My writing explores the intersections of war, ideology, and humanism through dramatic, often polyphonic narratives that draw on real-world experience. 

I am also a veteran 911 Paramedic, labor organizer, political advocate, and international development analyst with extensive work in Haiti, the Middle East, and Central America. I currently serve as an active-duty Paramedic for NYU Langone and am completing my JD at CUNY School of Law. 

My work abroad includes five years with Haitian Emergency Group & Haitian Physicians Abroad during and after the 2010 earthquake, and service in 2017–2018 with the People’s Protection Units (YPG) of the Syrian Democratic Forces as a combat medic. I have engaged in Track III diplomacy and people-to-people negotiation efforts with civil society actors across Cuba, Russia, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Israel, Turkey, Kurdistan, and Palestine. I lead the Emergency Medical Services Public Advocacy Council (EMSPAC), working to organize EMS workers across New York City. 

In total, I’ve authored seven unpublished books and over a hundred Russian-American poems. Select works include: 

• AMERICAN REFUGEE / THE MOTHERLAND CALLS – a coming-of-age diaspora epic (2004). 

• AMBULAND – short stories from New York City’s ambulance service (2009). 

• VODKA LULLABIES- Russian American poetry compilation (2011).

• THE UNLIMITED OPERATION- Russian American poetry compilation (2012). 

• THE COMPANY OF RESCUERS/ Anfom Frere – a Haitian earthquake tragedy (2012). 

• FIRE ON THE MOUNTAIN / In the World to Come – a Russian-American saga set in a revolutionary Brooklyn (2016). 

• THE RISE OF THE MIDDLE EASTERN CONFEDERATION (2024) – a tragic and visionary tale about a pan-Levantine revolution aiming to replace imperialism and sectarian war with democratic pluralism and regional unity 
   

My nonfiction and journalism credits include The Pax Americana (2002), On Islamic Rebellion After the Defeat of Socialism (2004), Israel & Hamas (2010), Famni Lavalas (2024) The EMT Module in Haiti (2015) The Democratic Confederalist Papers (2018), What is to be Won: Workers Parties and Superunions (2025) and multiple op-eds on EMS labor justice for AMNY and Queens Courier. I am also the co-creator of Third Service, a newspaper for NYC EMS workers. 

You can read more and view excerpts on this site.

Thank you again for your time and attention. I would be grateful for the opportunity to discuss this project further. 

Warm regards, 

Walter Sebastian Adler 
Email: WalterSebastianAdler@gmail.com
Phone: +1.347.417.0060