Hi!

    I am Ayah Al-Masyabi, a journalist, writer, and artist whose work revolves around the power of stories - the stories we tell ourselves, the stories we tell others, and the ones we are told. My work resists the temptation to end with hope and embraces emotional honesty. 
    In the simplest terms, my work is about the human condition - the emotions, struggles, and moral dilemmas that define our existence. My art attempts to encapsulate a fraction of this experience of living. 
    To live in the mind of another, even if for a moment, to create a sense of connection and relation is my eternal goal. Color, texture, composition and value are cornerstones of my work, playing parts in every one of my creations. With work so focused on communicating something so existential, every element has to build up a narrative - enhancing the story of a complicated life. I find myself wrestling with questions that rarely have answers. 

You can find me on Instagram @ayahalmasyabi.

​

Accomplishments include: 

    In the Scholastic Arts and Writing Contest, I have won two Gold Keys for Art Portfolios, four Gold Keys in painting, one Gold Key in digital art, one Silver Key in painting, one Honorable Mention for illustration, and one Honorable Mention for multi-media. I have also won an honorable mention for Writing Portfolio, one Gold Key in critical essays, one Silver Key in poetry, two Silver Keys in personal essays, three honorable mentions for Journalism, and an honorable mention for memoir.

    In 2021, I volunteered to create 20 handmade pieces of art to be sold for the charity called Project for Awesome. I have also won third place in the Teen Art contest twice and won in the Geek Out Contest twice by the Arapahoe Libraries. My art has been included in galleries at the Emmanuel Gallery, Denver Art Museum, 40 West, and the Arapahoe Libraries. My art won third place in the 2024 Congressional Art Competition and was displayed at The People’s Building and in Jason Crow's Congressional District office. I have illustrated many stories for Polyphony Lit.

    My podcast episode, “Soccer in the US: My Obsession with America’s New Favorite Pastime” was a 2023 NPR Student Podcast Challenge finalist, with my original podcast episode featured on NPR and Men In Blazers. My other podcast episode, "Finding the One," was a finalist in the NPR Student Podcast Challenge in 2025.

    I was a part of the NBCU's 2023 Girl's Experienceship, the Colorado Sun's 2024 Rise and Shine Journalism Workshop, and an intern for the MCA Creator Studio in 2026. 

    My short stories “Shopping List” and "Broken" were published in the 2023 and 2024 Girls Write Now anthology. My essays and poetry have appeared in The Mantelpiece, Literary Purveyor, Youth Communication, and Inspire the Mind.

    I have freelanced for YR Media, Westword, and the Colorado Sun. For YR Media, I wrote a number of articles on sports and culture, including a series of articles covering the 2023 Women’s World Cup and the 2024 Olympics. I covered art and culture for Westword and wrote an op-ed that was published in the Colorado Sun, which got the attention of New Era Colorado and Former President Obama.