The Writer

Nada Samih
Who are you as a writer?
I am a Palestinian American writer inspired by the relationship between personhood and place. I am interested in the slippery concept of home, local histories, and monster folklore.

Who are you when you aren’t writing?
When I am not writing I am finding troll bridges with my three kids (aged 6 months, 3 yrs, & 9 yrs), partner and parent village I’ve built over the years. I am also an English teacher and medicinal herb enthusiast.

To explore some of Nada’s writing and creative work, visit her blog: nowapproachingprovidence.wordpress.com.

The Writing Community

Which Frequency classes/events/anthologies have you joined?
My writing was featured in the “Missing Providence” anthology and I have been taking Frequency courses since 2014. Some of the more recent ones I took were: Urban Wildlife and Publishing Basics.

Which Frequency workshops stuck with you most, and why?
I took a writing course a couple years back taught my Seth Tourjee that blended and mixed genres, art forms, and methods. The readings, discussions and prompts encouraged me to build, break and rebuild my ideas in ways helped take my writing in different directions and break new ground. I often return to my writing from that course for inspiration.

How has being part of a writing community impacted your writing practice and life beyond the page?
Being part of a writing community has been extremely vital to my sense of self as an artist and has helped etch out a space for my practice even in the midst of the most challenging and time consuming aspects of raising a family. I am so grateful to have found a space post-MFA that has been sustainable, generative, and inspiring to my practice. My writing community has made it possible for me to make space for my emotional and mental health in ways that only tending to my writer-self can.

Who would you invite to join Frequency Writers?
Folks of all ages and writing experiences would benefit from joining Frequency Writers, but I want to send a special request to the parents and particularly other moms of color out there to join. The accessibility, availability of scholarships, variety of workshops, and amazing supportive instructors make it more than worth it to check out Frequency. Making time for yourself to think, read, write, and create are all acts of revolutionary self-love and therefore of the upmost importance for caregivers. No one can pour from an empty cup.