I had the rare treat of hearing a friend read her work out loud to a new audience earlier this week. She’s someone I’ve known for years and hearing her read published work filled me with such pride.

Maryam touches on many issues related to the status of migrant laborers in Qatar. Her poem “The Invisible Army” brings a human angle to a big picture issue. This piece is part of a large anthology of Arabian Gulf poets, many of whom are accessible in English for the first time.

Enjoy this video, the 28th in my year of 52 short films project for 2013. I’m not likely to make it all the way to my 2012 resolution before January 1st, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t have fun trying.

Related articles

• “The Invisible Army”
• Wordless Wednesday: No Woman, No Drive