I’m an investigative journalist, podcaster, author and speaker based in Istanbul, Turkey. I’m the chief editor of On Spec Podcast, an audio documentary from the field.

I wear a lot of hats in journalism but my favorite part is getting out there and talking to people, searching for clues and making bad guys accountable for their crimes.

Born in Afghanistan, I came to the U.S. as a refugee and spent my teen years in California, then headed to the American East Coast for undergrad and graduate education. I have a master’s in journalism and Middle Eastern studies from New York University. Then I fled back to my roots.

In the last 30 years, you could’ve found me covering the news from places like Afghanistan, Egypt, Iran, Pakistan, and Turkey in the last decade. I’m the author of the reportage memoir Opium Nation: Child Brides, Drug Lords, and One Woman’s Journey through Afghanistan and co-author of several nonfiction anthologies. I’ve also written fiction in the anthology The American Way: Stories of Invasion. I’ve won awards for my work, like the Overseas Press Club, but I’m most proud of the positive impact my stories have had on people’s lives.

I’m fluent in Farsi/Dari (it’s the same language but different dialects) and can get by in Arabic and Turkish. Some of my recent work can be found in The World, The Verge, Time, The Christian Science Monitor, The New Yorker, and The Financial Times.

But my hardest job is being the mother of two opinionated teenage girls who aren’t afraid to speak truth to power—and that includes me!

She is available for interviews and talks and can be reached at fnawa@hotmail.com