NADA FARIS
Writer * Translator * Teacher * Coach
Photo by Areej Saleh
Nada Faris is the author of three books: Fountain of Youth, a 2016 Vine Leaves Vignette Collection Awards semi-finalist (Vine Leaves Press, 2016, Australia); Mischief Diary, a collection 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 and was nominated for a Pushcart Prize in 2021, while "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 of 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 received 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 B.A. in English Language & Literature and a Higher Diploma in Comparative Literature from Kuwait University. Furthermore, Nada holds an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from Columbia University (concentration in poetry and translation).
Furthermore, Faris is a member of the International Coaching Federation (ICF) and ICF's Kuwait Chapter and has received her coaching certification from Coach Training Alliance. As a coach working primarily with creatives, Faris has tailored packages for graduate students, writers, and other artists hoping to become professional at their chosen crafts.
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 and was nominated for a Pushcart Prize in 2021, while "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 of 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 received 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 B.A. in English Language & Literature and a Higher Diploma in Comparative Literature from Kuwait University. Furthermore, Nada holds an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from Columbia University (concentration in poetry and translation).
Furthermore, Faris is a member of the International Coaching Federation (ICF) and ICF's Kuwait Chapter and has received her coaching certification from Coach Training Alliance. As a coach working primarily with creatives, Faris has tailored packages for graduate students, writers, and other artists hoping to become professional at their chosen crafts.
