Children of Fire: Kurdish Female Freedom Fighters and the Struggle for Women, Life, Freedom by Shahrzad Arshadi and Anna Chatterton

In these highly anxious and turbulent times, it can feel easy to lose hope and give up. This unique and moving hybrid work opens doors of possibility to all of us, offering a wake-up call for connection and change.

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 the accounts of these extraordinary women, the playwrights 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. Children of Fire is a comprehensive document of that process, which centres around the play script, and also includes poems by and interviews with the resistance fighters, photographs, and candid personal essays from the authors. Arshadi ruminates on her deep and lasting relationship with the women, while Chatterton reflects on the journey and connecting with a fighter through the art of poetry.

Ultimately, this is a vital book about female empowerment, about how the personal is political, and how genuine shifts are rooted in action. The women’s struggle is in aid of peace and to protect the environment, as well as the Kurdish people and women everywhere. Children of Fire emphasizes that we are all part of this critical fight and that together we can create a better world for everyone.

Praise for Children of Fire

“Blending drama, first-person accounts, personal essays, images, and lyrical prose, Children of Fire is like nothing you’ve ever read before—a boundary-defying, genre-bending work that tells the extraordinary stories of Kurdish female freedom fighters and their fight for liberation. Shahrzad Arshadi and Anna Chatterton travel to the hills of Kurdistan to bring us the voices of revolutionary women, warriors and artists, mothers and daughters, who’ve dedicated their lives to creating a better future for themselves and for women everywhere. This is an astonishing tale of resilience, courage and determination. To read this book is to be transformed; it will leave you enriched, inspired, and deeply moved to action.” —Ayelet Tsabari, author of Songs for the Brokenhearted

“Children of Fire is a rare and urgent document of Kurdish women standing at the front lines of resistance. Through their powerful testimonies, the book reveals a struggle for freedom and gender equality that is as intimate as it is transformative.” —Soheil Parsa, award-winning theatre director