Children of Fire: Kurdish Female Fighters and the Struggle for Woman, Life, Freedom - Paperback

by Shahrzad Arshadi (Author), Anna Chatterton (Author)

In 2018, Shahrzad Arshadi and Anna Chatterton travelled to the Qandil Mountains of Kurdistan, where they were hosted by a group of Kurdish female freedom fighters. After living with and gathering accounts of these extraordinary women, they returned home to create a searing piece of theatre that not only amplifies their voices but also deftly examines privilege, feminism, and the nature of courage. With contributions from the authors and the resistance fighters, Children of Fire is a unique, genre-blurring collection that includes the original play script, an interview, photographs, candid personal essays, letters, poems, and testimonials.

This vital hybrid work examines how the freedom fighters' struggle is in aid of peace and the protection of the environment, as well as the Kurdish people and women everywhere. During these anxious and turbulent times, it can feel easy to give up hope. Children of Fire offers a wake-up call to connection and change, emphasizing that we are all part of this critical fight, and that together, we can create a better world for everyone.

Author Biography

SHAHRZAD ARSHADI is a Canadian-Iranian multidisciplinary artist who works in various fields, including photography, documentary film, playwriting, and performance. Since 2022, she has co-produced and co-hosted the Future Is Now podcast, and her plays and performances include It Is Only Sound That Remains (2011), Come Wash With Us: Seeking Home in Story (2015), and Forbidden Voices (2018). She has received multiple awards for her work, including Nightwood Theatre's Louise Garfield Award, Concordia University's Little Prize, and a Woman of Distinction Inspiration Award. Arshadi is based in Tiohtià ke (Montréal).

ANNA CHATTERTON is a writer, theatre artist, and librettist. A two-time finalist for the Governor General's Literary Award for Drama, her published plays include Within the Glass, Gertrude and Alice (co-written with Evalyn Parry), Cowgirl Up and Quiver, which was nominated for a Hamilton Literary Award. She is the winner of a City of Hamilton Arts Award and a Toronto Theatre Critics Award, and her collaborative projects have been nominated for five Dora Mavor Moore Awards, and a JUNO Award. Originally from British Columbia, she now lives in Hamilton, Ontario.