PhD, University of Waterloo
Master of Arts, Kansas State University
Master of Arts, University of Baghdad
Bachelor of Arts, Al-Moman University College
Extension: x43029
Email: lalethari@uwaterloo.ca
Biography
My academic journey began in Baghdad, Iraq as an English language student at a small teacher’s college, where I learned to teach English language and literature to non-native English speakers (I have native fluency in English and Arabic). After receiving my BA (1999), my interest in learning and teaching led me to complete my first MA degree (2002) from the University of Baghdad. In 2006, I had the opportunity to expand both my academic and cultural experiences when I won a Fulbright Scholarship to complete a second MA at Kansas State University (2008). My young family and I arrived in Canada as landed immigrants and one year later, I joined the PhD program at the University of Waterloo. Since my graduation (2014), I divide my time between my family, my teaching, and my creative and scholarly work.
Selected Publications
Books
Al Ethari, Lamees, and Maria Lombard. Mothering and Inter/Generational Trauma. Bradford: Demeter Press, 2025.
Waiting for the Rain: A Memoir. Toronto: Mawenzi House Publishers, 2019.
From the Wounded Banks of the Tigris. London: Baseline Press, 2018.
Book Chapters
Iraqi Mothers, Diasporic Sons: Narrative Patterns of Identity and Belonging in Baghdad Twist,” Representations of Refugee, Migrant, and Displaced Motherhood in a Global Context. Ed. Maria Lombard. Lanham: Rowman and Littlefield, 2022.
Literary Journals and Anthologies
“Motherhood in Crisis,” Gilgamesh: A Journal of Modern Iraqi Art. Baghdad: Ministry of Information and Culture, 2023.
“Baghdad” (poem), “Carrying Baghdad” (visual art), “Dreams of Home” (visual art). About Place Journal, vol. 5, no. 2, Fall 2018.
“Poems of a Fallen City: Four Poems.” The New Quarterly, no. 147, Fall 2018.
“311 and Counting.” Al-Mutanabbi Street Starts Here: Poets and Writers Respond to the March 5th, 2007, Bombing of Baghdad's "Street of the Booksellers." Oakland: PM Press, 2012.
“Dreams of Exile,” “Roots,” and “Zahawi.” Malpais Review. vol. 2, no. 2, Autumn, 2012.
“After the Rain.” The Changing Image, Kitchener Public Library, 2011.
“Roots.” The Changing Image, Kitchener Public Library, 2009.
Fellowships & Awards
- Co-Investigator, Partnership Engage Grant, (SSHRC) Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, “‘They never get to see me’: Muslim Women’s Employment-Seeking Experiences in Midsize Urban Municipal Public Services.”
- Principal Investigator, Connection Grant, (SSHRC) Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, “The X Page: A Storytelling Workshop for Immigrant Women,” 2019-2020
- Outstanding Performance Award, University of Waterloo, 2023
- Nominee, National Magazine Award in Poetry, 2019
- Ontario Graduate Scholarship, 2011-13
- Graduate Creative Writing Award for Poetry 2011
- The Dorothy Shoemaker Literary Award for Poetry 2009
- J. William Fulbright Scholarship, 2006-2008
Current Research and Creative Work
Patterns of Telling: Arab Women’s Autobiography in the Diaspora
A critical and creative autoethnographic exploration of Arab women’s expressions of identification through “unconscious” patterns of storytelling that differ according to cultural backgrounds, social status, and places of re-settlement.
The Fortune Teller and Other Stories
Building on the folktales from Iraqi culture, this collection tells the stories of a community in the rural villages of southern Iraq.
Knowledge Mobilization
- Naomi Shihab Nye Prize for Arab American and Arab Canadian Authors, Al-Bustan Seeds of Culture, 2023-25
- Nonfiction Editor, The New Quarterly, 2016-present
- Co-Founder, The X Page Project
Areas of Interest
- Arab Women’s Literature and Life Writing
- Diaspora and Immigrant Literature
- Creative Writing (Multi-Genre)
- Academic Writing and Communication