Nada Faris is the author of three international books: Fountain of Youth, a 2016 Vine Leaves Vignette Collection Awards semi-finalist (Vine Leaves Press, 2016, Australia); Mischief Diary, a selection of humorous short stories for young adults (HBKU, 2018, Qatar); and Women of Kuwait, a Lucie Photobook Award finalist in the Independent Prize category (Daylight, 2019, United States of America).
Faris is the first place winner of Kuwait's national poetry slam (organized by the Jamaican Embassy in Kuwait and Taste of Jamaica): Oct 2010, Dec 2010, Feb 2016, and Jul 2016; and the Runner Up: Dec 2011, Sep 2012, Apr 2014, and Jan 2015. Her article “Every Child Deserves a Home: Zeina Al-Sultan Unveils the Truths Behind Adoption in Kuwait” won en.v’s Voice of Success Program in 2012. "Poem to be Read from Right to Left" was a finalist in No Contact's Summer Poetry Contest in 2021, and "Every Day is a Celebration Worthy of Fireworks" was nominated in 2021 by One Jacar for Best of the Net.
Her work appeared in: The Norton Anthology for Hint Fiction, One Jacar, Nimrod, Sukoon, Gulf Coast Journal, Amethyst Review, The American Journal of Poetry, Tribes, The Indianapolis Review, No Contact, and more. Her essays and interviews on culture and politics in the Middle East have been published in: Fanack Chronicle of the Middle East & North Africa (Netherlands), Economic and Political Weekly (India), and Kuwait Times, Arab Times, The Times Kuwait, bazaar, Khaleejesque, CityPages, Ink & Oil, and en.v (Kuwait).
Courtesy of Kuwait's Ministry of State for Youth Affairs, Faris participated in Iowa University’s International Writing Program (IWP) Fall 2013. In 2015 and 2016, she joined the Board of Trustees for the Cultural Circle Prize for the Arabic Short Story (Almultaqa), the first international award for short story collections in Arabic. Furthermore, Faris is the recipient of a 2016 MENA Salam Fellowship from World Peace Initiative Foundation (Peace In, Peace Out) where she meditated with Buddhist monks in Turkey. In April 2018, she was selected by the US Embassy in Kuwait to participate in the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP): Empowering Youth Through the Performing Arts, and she received in the same year an Arab Woman Award from Harper's Bazaar Arabia in the category of Inspirational Woman for her impact on Kuwait's creative sector.
Faris earned a BA in English Language & Literature, and a Higher Diploma in Comparative Literature, from Kuwait University. She, additionally, holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Columbia University (concentration in poetry and translation).
For more on Faris's teaching-artist, professional, or creative experience -- and for a full resume -- please visit the Events page.
Faris is the first place winner of Kuwait's national poetry slam (organized by the Jamaican Embassy in Kuwait and Taste of Jamaica): Oct 2010, Dec 2010, Feb 2016, and Jul 2016; and the Runner Up: Dec 2011, Sep 2012, Apr 2014, and Jan 2015. Her article “Every Child Deserves a Home: Zeina Al-Sultan Unveils the Truths Behind Adoption in Kuwait” won en.v’s Voice of Success Program in 2012. "Poem to be Read from Right to Left" was a finalist in No Contact's Summer Poetry Contest in 2021, and "Every Day is a Celebration Worthy of Fireworks" was nominated in 2021 by One Jacar for Best of the Net.
Her work appeared in: The Norton Anthology for Hint Fiction, One Jacar, Nimrod, Sukoon, Gulf Coast Journal, Amethyst Review, The American Journal of Poetry, Tribes, The Indianapolis Review, No Contact, and more. Her essays and interviews on culture and politics in the Middle East have been published in: Fanack Chronicle of the Middle East & North Africa (Netherlands), Economic and Political Weekly (India), and Kuwait Times, Arab Times, The Times Kuwait, bazaar, Khaleejesque, CityPages, Ink & Oil, and en.v (Kuwait).
Courtesy of Kuwait's Ministry of State for Youth Affairs, Faris participated in Iowa University’s International Writing Program (IWP) Fall 2013. In 2015 and 2016, she joined the Board of Trustees for the Cultural Circle Prize for the Arabic Short Story (Almultaqa), the first international award for short story collections in Arabic. Furthermore, Faris is the recipient of a 2016 MENA Salam Fellowship from World Peace Initiative Foundation (Peace In, Peace Out) where she meditated with Buddhist monks in Turkey. In April 2018, she was selected by the US Embassy in Kuwait to participate in the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP): Empowering Youth Through the Performing Arts, and she received in the same year an Arab Woman Award from Harper's Bazaar Arabia in the category of Inspirational Woman for her impact on Kuwait's creative sector.
Faris earned a BA in English Language & Literature, and a Higher Diploma in Comparative Literature, from Kuwait University. She, additionally, holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Columbia University (concentration in poetry and translation).
For more on Faris's teaching-artist, professional, or creative experience -- and for a full resume -- please visit the Events page.
