2016 Vine Leaves Press Australia

FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH

Semi-Finalist in the 2016 Vine Leaves Vignette Collection Awards

Genre: Single Author Poetry & Prose Collection

Concerned with endings, resonances, and aftermaths, Fountain of Youth explores the mediation of an Arab female poet on the brink of change, documenting moments of transformation from adolescence to adulthood, from the immature stage of a mental disorder to its mature form, and from post-colonial conditions that led to the creation of a comfortable welfare state to globalization and its repercussions.

Specifically, Fountain of Youth questions what it means to be human after the global triumph of neoliberalism—and how our revision will help us rethink our ideas about youth/growth in the Middle East.

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"A searing, scintillating account of a highly clique-ish society rife with contradictions, hypocrisies, and intransigence." -- Shurooq Amin, artist, "It's a Man's World" exhibition.

"Faris's collection is an unapologetic statement about global and home affairs. An important voice for Arab women in the region," -- Rewa Zenati, publisher & editor-in-chief of Sukoon magazine.

"Seamlessly combines lyric language, philosophy, and politics." -- Oakla Elliott, author of The Cartographer's Ink.

"Faris's work displays none of the regionalist aspiration that much of post-colonial academia cherishes as she situates her experiences, her place, within the network of this world. We expect this of an English poet of the post-colony and yet her words appear fresh [. . .] Faris's work also displays a ferocity that is often missing from today's literature of the gentry. Her work doesn't just cover the anger or resentment against the political institutions or establishments, but also displays a keen distaste for the optimism (a sort of yuppism) that haunts much of the globalized urban spaces today."  -- Newfound magazine.

LINKS

• Newfound, “Nada Faris’s Fountain of Youth: A Collection of Fiery Poems.”