Nabati poetry is traditional vernacular Arabic poetry originating with the nomadic bedouins of the Arabian Peninsula. The dialectical poetry has been integral in reflecting the daily lives of Arabs since the pre-Islamic era. Nabati poetry was often passed down orally from generation to generation to preserve history for nomadic tribes.

Inspired by love, longing, and the desert environment, female poets contributed substantially to Nabati poetry and were famous for their elegies. Yet female poets are often ignored, and their poetry is overlooked in Arabic and English literary studies. Moneera al-Ghadeer, author of “Desert Voices: Bedouin Women’s Poetry in Saudi Arabia,” argues that women’s poetry has been systematically marginalized and suppressed. After spending almost a decade traveling around the kingdom collecting poems from women, based on the oral tradition, Saudi poet Abdullah Ibn Raddas admits he only had a “few samples because women’s poetry is often concealed, and as a result, forgotten.”

As a result of cultural restrictions and stigmas, some female Nabati poets were forced to use pseudonyms, such as Oyoun alMaha (antelope’s eye) or Raheenat Najd (Najd’s hostage), to hide their tribal and personal identities. Despite these challenges, recently female poets have achieved success in poetry competitions, competing directly against their male counterparts in prestigious contests.

Hissa Hilal, a Saudi poet known as Reemiyah, made it to the finals in the “Million’s Poet,” one of the top pan-Arab poetry competitions. She appeared on the reality show a decade ago stirring controversy for breaking cultural and traditional norms. More initiatives have emerged recently offering opportunities for female poets to present their work. Women-only clubs, forums, and awards have been established to bring female Gulf Arab poets together to exhibit their poetry to the world.

Among the female poets who achieved great success at a young age is Bashayer al-Megbil. “I think Bashayer refuted the notion that women and men are on different levels in poetry,” said one of the judges of the Forsan elGseed contest, part of the King Abdulaziz Award for Traditional Literature. Bashayer is a poet and law student from Al Qassim, Saudi Arabia. She has won numerous awards in poetry from the Hamdan bin Mohammad Heritage Center to the King Abdulaziz Camel Festival.

The Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington spoke with Bashayer about the role of women, and her specific role, in Nabati poetry as well as her achievements, challenges, and goals.

AGSIW: Why did you insist on becoming a poet even though women weren’t encouraged to write Nabati poetry?

Bashayer: I am a dreamer and I see beauty in the simplest details, and it annoys me when I look for words and find nothing to describe the feeling of that moment. I had to write poetry to express my thoughts and feelings. I think poetry was brought to me. My mother, may her soul rest in peace, had great taste in poetry. I learned from her and memorized her poems, which was my source of inspiration. This inspired me to enter the world of poetry and compete against big names.

No one in my family recognized my talent until I surprised them by winning the Hamdan bin Mohammad Award in Dubai. Now I am my family’s poet and they’re my biggest fans.

I aspire to be the first female poet to perform in front of the king and crown prince.

AGSIW: Your poems focus on family and patriotism. What do you hope to convey through your poetry?

Bashayer: Poets and their poems are “platforms” for their nations and communities.

If we do not employ this talent to glorify our homelands, our loyalty, and the beauty of our society, we should be ashamed of ourselves. In a sense, I feel a responsibility to write about my family.

AGSIW: Women were not welcome in traditional Nabati poetry circles leading many to write with nicknames or aliases. How has this changed?

Bashayer: Honesty, I do think we are now experiencing changes. However, I have some colleagues who are still using pseudonyms in poetry; perhaps hiding their tribal identities permits them to write freely away from societal norms, which otherwise would have limited their writing.

The percentage of female poets compared to male poets is very low and the well-known female poets are few, as many talented female poets have not gained exposure yet.

To me, I did not care much about the “so called” societal disappointing norms and I am proud I never had to use pseudonyms. Actually, I feel I’m privileged since my family supported me from the beginning, thank God; otherwise, I would not have been who I am today.

AGSIW: What challenges have you confronted in your career as a poet?

Bashayer: It was not easy to get to this place. Especially since I did not get the appropriate guidance at the start. I learned poetry and its elements by myself! To be honest, no one acknowledged my poetic talent until I won my first award from the Hamdan bin Mohammad Heritage Center.

Also, one of the main challenges for every poet is the difficulty of appealing to the reader’s mind. Despite the quality of what the poet writes, the audience plays a significant role in developing his or her poetic skills and creativity.

Reaching out to a larger constituency was difficult, especially since I’m too shy to ask for help from others. Another obstacle for female poets is that we lack the support of one another and we’re each doing this on our own.

AGSIW: Have government or civil society groups played a role in supporting female poets?

Bashayer: Frankly, the Forsan elGseed competition was the first state platform to give poets the opportunity to compete in public and the female participation was amazing. There were also female poet forums supported by former ministers to support us, promising to give us a push.

I hope more platforms are offered as part of the Entertainment Authority’s agenda in the future.

AGSIW: You made it to the finals in Forsan elGseed and one of your poems has millions of views on YouTube. Would you tell us about your experience?

Bashayer: Forsan elGseed was the best part of my poetic career, even though I participated for the sake of introducing myself only, and I did not expect to pass the first level. I scored the most points in all six rounds and won the King Abdulaziz for Traditional Literature award from among 3,000 participants from across the Arab world. Despite my self-confidence, I was nervous with the big, famous names participating in this challenge.

I believe I’m special and wherever I go people remember me, despite the fame I got after the award. Perhaps the award helped me in moving forward.

Regarding my poem on my brother that received millions of viewers on social media, it was one of my simplest poems, which I wrote in 10 minutes. Perhaps the simplicity of the poem and the spontaneity of the situation (it wasn’t part of the script) may have captured people’s hearts.

AGSIW: Poetry has deep roots in Gulf societies. But does it resonate with today’s youth? What role do you see for poetry moving forward?

Bashayer: Poetry is endearing to the hearts of people at all times. This is evident when I see a video of a child reciting the words of my poem in candor, the youth circulating my poems on social media, and girls utilizing a musical variation of my poetry.