Revisiting "Are You Really Sisters" for Arab American Heritage Month

It’s always interesting to look at your work through a different lens, and experimenting with the short-form video app TikTok has led to recreating some of my previous writing as short videos. I love working with words and images, and using TikTok’s format, I created digest versions of the written works. These include my 2020 essay for Catapult, “Are You Really Sisters,” which looks at mixed heritage and physical differences within families. While the written version allows for depth and detail, translating the material into video creates a quick, vivid dip into the subject. It’s been great too to reach viewers/readers on TikTok I might not have otherwise. You can watch the video here—comments are on and I’d love to hear what you think. And if you’re on TikTok, let’s connect—I’m at @laurenalwan989