Fatima Matar
I’m a bilingual writer, poet, and artist.
I write to understand and paint when language fails me.
I sought asylum in the United States in late 2018 after facing prosecution in my home country Kuwait due to my political opinions and social activism. As a law professor, a lawyer, and a feminist, I strongly believe in democracy, freedom of speech, and gender equality, but I couldn’t live by my beliefs in Kuwait. When I advocated for the human rights of The Stateless; more than 50,000 longtime inhabitants in Kuwait deprived of citizenship, health, education, and work, and held the Sheikh responsible for their tragedy, I was prosecuted. I condemned the growing problem of femicide (honor killings), I spoke up about the poor treatment of women in Islam, I was vocal about LGBTQ rights in a country where homosexuality is still illegal, and I organized protests against the Kuwaiti government’s ban of over 5000 books. When my imprisonment became imminent, I fled, knowing that my daughter Jori and I would never be safe in Kuwait. I now live in the Cleveland area with Jori and our cat Ty.
Amongst others, my writing has appeared in Oyster River Pages, Gordon Square Review, LifeHacker, and Scene Magazine. In 2023 I won The Urgent Art Fund offered by SPACES.
In 2024 I won The Ohio Individual Excellence Award for Writing from Ohio Arts Council, and The Premier Fellowship from Cleveland Public Theater.
I write to understand and paint when language fails me.
I sought asylum in the United States in late 2018 after facing prosecution in my home country Kuwait due to my political opinions and social activism. As a law professor, a lawyer, and a feminist, I strongly believe in democracy, freedom of speech, and gender equality, but I couldn’t live by my beliefs in Kuwait. When I advocated for the human rights of The Stateless; more than 50,000 longtime inhabitants in Kuwait deprived of citizenship, health, education, and work, and held the Sheikh responsible for their tragedy, I was prosecuted. I condemned the growing problem of femicide (honor killings), I spoke up about the poor treatment of women in Islam, I was vocal about LGBTQ rights in a country where homosexuality is still illegal, and I organized protests against the Kuwaiti government’s ban of over 5000 books. When my imprisonment became imminent, I fled, knowing that my daughter Jori and I would never be safe in Kuwait. I now live in the Cleveland area with Jori and our cat Ty.
Amongst others, my writing has appeared in Oyster River Pages, Gordon Square Review, LifeHacker, and Scene Magazine. In 2023 I won The Urgent Art Fund offered by SPACES.
In 2024 I won The Ohio Individual Excellence Award for Writing from Ohio Arts Council, and The Premier Fellowship from Cleveland Public Theater.
