POEM TO BE READ FROM RIGHT TO LEFT
by Nada Faris
Summer Poetry Contest Finalist
The experimental and political triumphs and heartaches of “POEM TO BE READ FROM RIGHT TO LEFT” radiate in your heart. Lines like “I think about framing an x-ray / of my daughter’s hand in the womb / where reptilian muscles pulse before they disappear” and “my stylist slapped the goo on my open palm / and said keep it messy / will you let me” hold this poem up, requiring a reader’s full gaze and affirmation. Every inch of this space is generous, intentional, and palpable. —Matt Mitchell
—After Marwa Helal
Nada Faris received an Arab Woman Award from Harper’s Bazaar Arabia in 2018 for her impact on Kuwait’s creative landscape. Author of three international books, Faris is an Honorary Fellow in Writing at Iowa University’s International Writing Program (IWP) Fall 2013, and alumna of the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) April 2018: Empowering Youth Through the Performing Arts. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Columbia University, and her poems, essays, and short stories have appeared in: The Norton Anthology for Hint Fiction, Nimrod, Sukoon, One Jacar, Amethyst Review, The Operating System, Indianapolis Review, and more.
