Hana Saad
Poet. Performer. Filmmaker. Teaching Artist.
Hello.
I'm a poet, performer, filmmaker, and teaching artist based in Phoenix, Arizona, which is on occupied O’Odham Jeved lands. My work considers notions of femininity, anger, inheritance, and the ways we can create new futures while living in a sick society. A Tin House Fellow and Artist-in-Residence at the Arab American National Museum, my poems have appeared or are forthcoming in Mizna and Action, Spectacle.I hold an MFA in poetry from Arizona State University. I'm at work on my first debut collection of poems, as well as a series of nonfiction essays that explore the socio-political nuances of being Arab/SWANA in the United States. As a teaching artist, I seek to create spaces where people feel free to tell their stories and express themselves in their own voices. I am also an emerging filmmaker intent on creating films that explore the complexity of human emotion and connection.
Performance
A previous Oklahoma state champion in Original Oratory and Lincoln-Douglass debate, I have over a decade of experience as a speaker and performer. I have performed my work at the Arab American National Museum, Radius of Arab American Writers Conference, WOMPA, and at events held by the Tulsa Artist Fellowship.
My Work
An emerging artist, I primarily write poetry, fiction, and nonfiction. I also work in digital photography, 35mm film, and visual art. My short film is currently in festival submission. I am expanding my practice into documentary and interview-based filmmaking.
Publications
dog bite | Action, Spectacle, 2026I cut down to the core | Mizna, Issue 24.1I have a tendency to do the things I love until I break | Pomona Valley Review, Issue 17
Filmmaking
Short Poetry Film: Your Light of a Million Suns (2026)
Select Photography
Teaching
My teaching practice began in 2023, where I designed a series of workshops on Arab ecopoetics for middle-schoolers at the Arab American National Museum. After that, I taught graduate level English courses and poetry workshops at Arizona State University. I also have taught workshops on Arab Futurisms, ecopoetics, and confessional poetry through WOMPA, Give Gaza Hope, and Western Washington University.
Teaching Philosophy
Teaching is part of my artist practice, and how I keep poetry and writing close to my heart. I delight in sharing poetry with young people. Poetry was the thing that helped me find myself, and it is my anchor when I'm feeling lost. It is my goal to make poetry accessible, relatable, and fun for students who might believe poetry isn't for them. Mostly, it is my goal to create safe spaces where my students feel supported, seen, heard, and cared for as they develop their own voices and artistic taste.
CV & Portfolio
I have professional experience in nonprofit communications, teaching, publishing, and arts programming. I have been involved in nonprofit work since 2017, where I focused my efforts on volunteer engagement in animal rescue, as well as volunteering with Poetic Justice in Tulsa, Oklahoma. I then served as the Communications and Operations Fellow at the Oklahoma Policy Institute, learning more about equitable policy solutions to improve the health and lives of all Oklahomans. During this time, I also worked closely with the Mizna team to develop film programming for the Tulsa Arab Film Fest.During my time in the MFA program, I taught undergraduate level English courses for two years, designing course structure and curriculum. Finally, I have publishing experience from my time at Hayden's Ferry Review, where I served as the Nonfiction Editor.
Contact
Official BioHana Saad is a Lebanese-American writer based in Phoenix, AZ by way of Tulsa, OK. She holds an MFA in poetry from Arizona State University. Her work is featured in Mizna and has been supported by the Arab American National Museum, the Tin House Writers Workshop, and the Radius for Arab American Writers. She urges you to support the liberation of Palestine, Lebanon, and Sudan, and all lands where systems of oppression are present. Revolution in big and small ways.
Open to collaboration, work, and readings.
Reach out using the form below.