Stories from Book Expo America – meeting Ni’mah Isma’il Nawwab

Lecturing internationally Nimah has been a keynote speaker, panelist, and lecturer at various venues ranging from world economic forums, institutes to universities and schools in the East and West.

She has presented at the World Economic Forum on the Middle East several times, at the World Expo, Japan 2006 -The UN pavilion, the Smithsonian Anthropology Department, Vital Voices, Washington D.C., The American University, Baker Hall- Rice, Ghalib Academy in India, Institute of South East Asian Studies in Singapore; and the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS)-London University, Virginia Commonwealth- Qatar, among many other institutes.

Topics in her highly interactive lectures and workshops is wide ranging from economy and leadership, education reform, the middle east and women, art and cultural heritage, the role of media, youth empowerment, to Islam and interfaith as she takes on the requests of various organizations to deliver special content based upon their needs and audience ages and interests.

Note a list of her lectures and speeches with venues is provided upon request.

A voice from an ancient land, her work is both regional and global.

Her widely-read academic articles and essays have been translated from English into Japanese, Chinese, Portuguese and Arabic including others.

She served as a reviewer/editor of the globally circulated Saudi Aramco World Magazine for 14 years and continues to edit work and contribute to several English publications.

The first Saudi Arab woman poet to be published in the United States, her pioneering work and a best seller , The Unfurling, included a historic, first-of-its-kind public book signing in Arabia and another in Washington D.C.

Nimah’s English poetry has been published, translated into numerous languages, included in anthologies and taught at schools and colleges in Arabia, the U.S, Singapore, Japan, India and elsewhere.

Her work has been featured in various global anthologies and been the subject of academic papers related to the Middle East, Women’s Studies, English Literature and Global Studies.

She is passionate about instilling love and appreciation of writing, poetry, journalism and blogging especially among youth. Nimah has been a poetry judge and facilitator of poetry sessions and workshops in several countries. Her writing and poetry sessions and workshops with adults and youth are geared towards raising the quantity and quality of writing and poetry, instilling a love for writing, appreciation, critiques, performance and presentation of one’s work in addition to advice on publishing.

Her poems have been included in various international anthologies including Side by Side: New Poems Inspired by Art from Around the World, Other Voices, The World Strand and I Belong with the latest Gathering the Tide: An Anthology of Contemporary Arabian Gulf Poetry, Garnet/Ithaca, November  2011.

As one reviewer noted, “Her voice speaks to the truths in all our lives regardless of nationality. It is a voice advocating justice, compassion and a basic respect for the dignity and rights of people everywhere.”

She is currently engaged working on two new poetry volumes which cover a range of themes. Her latest volume of work Canvas of the Soul-Mystic Poems from the Heartland of Arabia features Islamic art and calligraphy is a spiritual volume similar to the works of Rumi and mystic poets, as work on the sequel to The Unfurling is also in progress.

Nimah served as the female character and narrator in the ARABIA 3D IMAX documentary on Saudi Arabia released in 2010 to a global audience at institutes and museums. A special segment on the hajj, Arabian horses and women’s issues forms an essential segment of the documentary produced by an internationally award-winning producer.  .  Her involvement with the IMAX included theme consultation, involvement in the story board form the early stages onward, narration in addition to the role of the female character.

She has contributed to various documentaries on peace and women including the PBS Beyond Our Differences production on humanity and faiths.

Her involvement with film documentaries includes recent archival and research work with award-winning Filmmaker Shems Friedlander on a soon-to-be-released documentary

She is a strong supporter of young filmmakers and has promoted the work of emerging Saudi filmmakers and graphic artists in several productions to date.

As a photographer her work has been featured in magazines such as Aramco World and books including ‘Saudi Arabia, A Land Transformed.’   Some of her work is also slated for publication of a book on the Kingdom in late 2011 early 2012.

Nimah’s work and best-selling book have been featured in BBC World News, Newsweek International, MSNBC, AP, The Washington Post, the Japanese English Yomiuri Shimbum, LA Times, Asian Age, GEO France,  Hindustan Times, the Malay Berita Harian, Hello magazine, Eastern Eye, Hi magazine, Arabian Lady, Arab News, Saudi  Gazette, ash-Sharq al-Awsat, Al Hayat, Al Watan, Laha, Sayidaty, Khaleej Times, Arabian Lady,  Bahrain Tribune, Ukaz, Al Yawm, Arabiyyah Net, Elaf and others.

She has been interviewed by various television and radio outlets such as BBC World Update, BBC World Today, BBC World Radio, BBC Asia, NPR, BBC-Persia, BBC Al Arabiyah, Voice of America, Upfront New America Radio, KP0089.5 San Francisco, The Todd Feinburg Show, Channel News Channel News Asia, Canadian Channel M, Al Ekhbariyah, Al Arabiyah, on several MBC features and others.

For the last eight years Nimah has been an initiator, speaker and organizer of youth forums in various countries with themes related to youth empowerment. This includes her facilitation and organization of a first of its kind youth forum – world café style –held in Jeddah that included the two genders in one session with 150 youth participants ranging in age from 16 to 25 years old at the Knowledge Economy Conference whereby youth formed their own companies and proposed innovations that yielded 30 proposals.

A pioneering supporter of the voice of Saudi youth, enhancing skills and competencies, unearthing hidden talent as well as encouraging youth participation and decision making, she continues to be a strong advocate and a role model for this marginalized segment of society that holds the key to the future in their hands. Most recently she led the workshops on writing and the journey of the pen at a competition entitled “Imagine 2020” held in Saudi Arabia. Nimah also served as co-facilitator of the “Two Kingdom’s UK -Saudi Youth Forum” which led to joint projects between UK and Saudi youth.

She has organized and led a wide range of workshops and forums on leadership, discovering talent, journalism, blogging, poetry, youth and change, geared towards expanding youth empowerment through a variety of competencies and life skills.

Her involvement with youth includes the vital need to help youth with job skills and job placements be it in the Middle East or beyond, as she is a firm believer in the need to prepare the future workforce for the prospective needs of the labor market.

She headed an EP led youth campaign for the relief of flood- hit Jeddah victims earlier in 2010, initiating and implementing aligned efforts of numerous youth groups to offer aid to flood victims in a systematic and speedy manner. As director of the relief campaign she led the groups in mobilizing awareness initiatives, spreading messages of the need to offer aid to a wider range of those in need across the country. This inspired other youth groups in neighboring regions in the country to join efforts.

Nimah tirelessly contributes to multifaceted initiatives, supporting a wholesome approach to youth empowerment, networking and development. Her numerous volunteer activities support volunteer programs by youth from the start up phase through to carrying out the steps and programs and brining them to fruition. As a youth mentor she works with individuals or teams on artistic works ranging from poetry, journalism, photography and film making to calligraphy and graphic design.

Nimah is a humanitarian who shares a deep concern about human rights for all men, women and children, as a female empowerment activist she has been involved with various family and women’s issues including the forced divorce petition and case, guardianship of women and addresses challenges in professional lives, voting for women in Saudi Arabia, and women in the Arab Spring among others.

She has been an speaker, panelist discussion leader and subject matter expert at numerous women’s empowerment functions, for example, keynote on ‘Women and Society’ and ‘Women and Change’ at the Middle East (ME) WEF Sharm Sheikh, roundtable leader at the ME WEF in Jordan 2009 on women and at conferences on family laws as related to women issues and rights at WISE and Musawah conferences in Malaysia in 2009 and in recently 2011 in Istanbul in October, opening the conference and taking part in a panel on ‘Women and the Arab Spring.’

She has been featured as a female social activist and a female professional in several documentaries including BBC World News, in documentaries ‘Talents Celebrated’, ‘Women at Work’ on al Ikhbariayah and ‘Modern Saudi Women’ on MBC among other such segments.