Zahra grew up in two deserts which vary drastically and have many similarities in culture. One close to the sea (Kuwait), the other close to the mountains (New Mexico). She studied the visual arts in France, and continues various pursuits to further educate herself. She currently lives in the Barelas neighborhood of Albuquerque, New Mexico, and works in her studio at the Harwood Art Center, where she incorporates Kuwaiti tendencies into her daily life. Her 2022 children's book, Where Butterflies Fill the Sky has topped many year-end book lists including that of the New York Times, NPR, and the Chicago Public Library. Zahra is the 2022 Society of Illustrators’ Dilys Evans Founders Award Winner and a recipient of the United Nations Minority Artist Award on Statelessness. Zahra Marwan's CV