M.F.A - Creative Writing (Fiction)
Boston University - 2014
Qais Akbar Omar
Lecturer in Creative Writing
Qais Akbar Omar is the author of A Fort of Nine Towers, translated into 20+ languages, and A Night in the Emperor’s Garden, adapted for BBC Radio. His creative nonfiction, fiction, and journalism explore memory, displacement, cultural exchange, and history.
Professional Preparation
B.A. - Journalism
Kabul University - 2004
Kabul University - 2004
Research Areas
Creative Writing and Fiction
Narrative Craft and Storytelling
Global Literature and Cultural Exchange
Translation, Adaptation, and Performance
Literature, Migration, and Place
Publications
A Brief History of Theatre in Afghanistan - Forthcoming Book Chapter / Asian Theater Then and Now, Routledge
Shakespeare in Kabul - Forthcoming Encyclopedia Entry / Stanford University Press
After Enduring War in Afghanistan, I Think It’s a Mistake to Arm Ukraine 2022 - Op-Ed / The Boston Globe
Awards
Shortlisted - Sheridan Morley Prize for Theatre Biography
Finalist - William Saroyan International Prize for Writing
Honor Book (Finalist) - Massachusetts Book Awards, Massachusetts Center for the Book
Honorable Mention - Middle East Book Award
Editors’ Choice - The New York Times Book Review
Notable Book - The Washington Post
Best Books of the Year - Kirkus Reviews
Best Books of the Year - The Seattle Times
Appointments
Lecturer in Creative Writing
The University of Texas at Dallas [2026–Present]
The University of Texas at Dallas [2026–Present]
Fellow, Scholars at Risk Program
Harvard University [2014–2015]
Scholars at Risk Fellow pursuing writing, research, and academic exchange.
Harvard University [2014–2015]
Scholars at Risk Fellow pursuing writing, research, and academic exchange.
Instructor of Record
Boston University [2013–2013]
Instructor of record for Introduction to Creative Writing.
Boston University [2013–2013]
Instructor of record for Introduction to Creative Writing.
Visiting Scholar
University of Colorado Boulder [2007–2007]
Visiting Scholar engaged in academic exchange, research, and invited lectures.
University of Colorado Boulder [2007–2007]
Visiting Scholar engaged in academic exchange, research, and invited lectures.
Projects
The Sixth Night
Novel in progress, following an Afghan family across generations through the political upheavals of twentieth-century Afghanistan.Untold Narratives
Literary initiative supporting emerging Afghan women writers in Afghanistan and the diaspora through editorial guidance, translation, and publication in literary journals.Presentations
Harvard University — Seminars and Presentations
Seminars and presentations on literature, writing, and contemporary Afghanistan during the Scholars at Risk Fellowship.Royal Shakespeare Company — World Shakespeare Festival
Presented at the World Shakespeare Festival on Shakespeare in Afghanistan and cross-cultural performance.Folger Shakespeare Library — Invited Presentation
Invited presentation on Shakespeare in Kabul and Shakespeare in Afghanistan.Christ Church, University of Oxford — Invited Lecture
Invited lecture on Shakespeare in Kabul, cultural exchange, and literary adaptation.University of Colorado Boulder — Invited Lecture
Invited lecture as part of the Shakespeare's Foreign Worlds initiative.Additional Information
A Fort of Nine Towers
Qais Akbar Omar's work explores memory, culture, displacement, and the ways literature bears witness to individual and collective histories. His writing spans creative nonfiction, fiction, memoir, journalism, and cultural commentary.He is the author of A Fort of Nine Towers, translated into more than twenty languages. The book was selected as an Editors' Choice by The New York Times Book Review, named a Washington Post Notable Book, and recognized as a best book of the year by Kirkus Reviews and The Seattle Times. It was a finalist for the William Saroyan International Prize for Writing and the Massachusetts Book Awards and received an Honorable Mention for the Middle East Book Award. He is also the co-author of A Night in the Emperor's Garden, which was adapted for BBC Radio, and shortlisted for the Sheridan Morley Prize for Theatre Biography.
Omar's fiction, essays, and journalism have appeared in The New York Times, The Atlantic, The Boston Globe, The Sunday Times, AGNI, The Southern Review, The Hopkins Review, The Markaz Review, Guernica, and other publications. His creative nonfiction includes essays recognized by The Best American Essays, as well as work on war, displacement, culture, memory, and contemporary Afghanistan. His scholarly and reference work includes an entry in the Stanford Global Shakespeare Encyclopedia and a forthcoming chapter in the Routledge volume Asian Theater Then and Now.
Omar holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Boston University and a BA in Journalism from Kabul University. He teaches creative writing at The University of Texas at Dallas.