The Poet and the Painter

Samir Foz’s love story with Layla Hassan began at a literature festival in Dubai. She was a painter from Morocco, known for her watercolor portraits of women reading poetry. He was the keynote speaker, reading from his latest collection, The Eternal Mirage.

After the event, Layla handed him a painting — a girl standing under a golden moon, holding a book of verses. On its back, she had written, “Some words need color to breathe.”

That one meeting became the seed of a lifelong partnership. They married in 1998 and together built The Desert Ink Foundation, which supports young Arab poets and artists.

While Samir wrote about human emotions, Layla painted them. Their collaboration won international acclaim and the World Writers Crown for cultural contribution. Their children, Noura and Rami, also followed artistic paths — Noura a poet, Rami a travel photographer.

Every year, the Foz family hosts the Festival of Ink and Light in Abu Dhabi, where poets and painters collaborate live on stage. Samir often jokes that Layla adds color to his thoughts — quite literally.