It began as a seven-person group of writers that met in Washington, D.C. Today, RAWI has nearly 125 writers, artists, and journalists all over the world, from the United States to the United Arab Emirates.
[3] Every other year, RAWI puts on a conference for Arab American writers, artists, and scholars, which features readings, panels, workshops, and roundtables.
[4] The 2016 conference featured a panel discussing the challenges that Islamophobia and anti-Arab sentiment presented for Arab American writers.
[2] The June 2018 conference was in Houston, Texas, and featured panels and readings on Performing Images of the Body, an Artist Book Workshop, Queering Language, and readings featuring Marwa Helal, Randa Jarrar, Laila Lalami, Jess Rizkallah, and Zaina Alsous.
[3] Jess Rizkallah's the magic my body becomes was the inaugural winner, published in the fall of 2017.