NADA FARIS
Writer * Teacher * Translator * Coach
Nada Faris was born and raised in Kuwait. She first started writing structured verse, imitating British writers. She received a British education (E.S.G and G.E.S) before going on to study English Language and Literature at Kuwait University and receiving her B.A in 2006. Two years later, she enrolled in Kuwait University's Master's Program of Comparative Literature, and although she did not complete her thesis on Egyptian Science Fiction, she was honored as the top student in 2010.
In the same year, Ayana Ashanti, a Jamaican-American employee at the newly established Jamaican Embassy in Kuwait, introduced slam poetry in the tiny Gulf state by hosting the first poetry competition for the embassy's inauguration. Ashanti invited Nada to participate in the competition after hearing about Nada's performances at Kuwait University's English Day. Not knowing anything about the form, Nada Googled the phrase "slam poetry" and came across the works of American poets. It was the empowering aspect of speaking one's truth creatively in front of a live audience that captured her interest in the form.
That day, Nada won first place and began sharing the craft with a diverse audience in Kuwait. Over the years, she would again participate in Ashanti's national slam, and she would win first place again in Dec. 2010, Feb. 2016, and Jul. 2016 and emerge as the Runner Up in Dec. 2011, Sep. 2012, Apr. 2014, and Jan. 2015. However, in late 2013, Nada learned that she struggles with a neurodivergence that impacts her mood and that the slam poetry competitions aggravate her mood swings. Hence, she spent a couple of years experimenting with page poetry, and the outcome was Fountain of Youth, a semi-finalist in the Vine Leaves Vignette Collection Award in 2016 (Australia).
Two years later, Mischief Diary was published by Hamad Bin Khalifa University Press, a collection of humorous short stories based on real events (2018, Qatar).
And, a year after that, she collaborated with a Kuwaiti visual artist, Maha Alasaker, on Women of Kuwait, a finalist for the Lucie Photobook Award in the Independent Prize category (Daylight, 2019, USA).
In 2020, she received an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from Columbia University (New York, USA), concentrating on poetry and literary translation, and her latest work, Lost in Mecca, is the English translation of Bothayna Al-Essa's Arabic novel (خرائط التيه). It will be published, by DarArab UK, in March 2024.
Furthermore, Nada is a member of the International Coaching Federation (ICF) and ICF's Kuwait Chapter. She received her coaching certification from Coach Training Alliance (Colorado, USA) in September 2022. As a coach who works primarily with creatives, Nada offers tailored packages to graduate students, writers, and other artists who want to become professional in their chosen craft.
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In the same year, Ayana Ashanti, a Jamaican-American employee at the newly established Jamaican Embassy in Kuwait, introduced slam poetry in the tiny Gulf state by hosting the first poetry competition for the embassy's inauguration. Ashanti invited Nada to participate in the competition after hearing about Nada's performances at Kuwait University's English Day. Not knowing anything about the form, Nada Googled the phrase "slam poetry" and came across the works of American poets. It was the empowering aspect of speaking one's truth creatively in front of a live audience that captured her interest in the form.
That day, Nada won first place and began sharing the craft with a diverse audience in Kuwait. Over the years, she would again participate in Ashanti's national slam, and she would win first place again in Dec. 2010, Feb. 2016, and Jul. 2016 and emerge as the Runner Up in Dec. 2011, Sep. 2012, Apr. 2014, and Jan. 2015. However, in late 2013, Nada learned that she struggles with a neurodivergence that impacts her mood and that the slam poetry competitions aggravate her mood swings. Hence, she spent a couple of years experimenting with page poetry, and the outcome was Fountain of Youth, a semi-finalist in the Vine Leaves Vignette Collection Award in 2016 (Australia).
Two years later, Mischief Diary was published by Hamad Bin Khalifa University Press, a collection of humorous short stories based on real events (2018, Qatar).
And, a year after that, she collaborated with a Kuwaiti visual artist, Maha Alasaker, on Women of Kuwait, a finalist for the Lucie Photobook Award in the Independent Prize category (Daylight, 2019, USA).
In 2020, she received an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from Columbia University (New York, USA), concentrating on poetry and literary translation, and her latest work, Lost in Mecca, is the English translation of Bothayna Al-Essa's Arabic novel (خرائط التيه). It will be published, by DarArab UK, in March 2024.
Furthermore, Nada is a member of the International Coaching Federation (ICF) and ICF's Kuwait Chapter. She received her coaching certification from Coach Training Alliance (Colorado, USA) in September 2022. As a coach who works primarily with creatives, Nada offers tailored packages to graduate students, writers, and other artists who want to become professional in their chosen craft.
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- For more on Nada's coaching packages, please visit her other website: Empowering Creatives.
- To book Nada for upcoming events, please fill out the Invitation Form.