NEWS
News Report University of Bahrain Paves the Way for its Students to Achieve the Dream of Creative Writing
Sakhir – University of Bahrain (Khadijah Abdusalem)
October 22, 2022
Young people have long dreamt of writing, publishing, being part of the endless worlds of creativity, seeing their names on their poems and stories, and their letters scattered in a creative pattern full of memories, meanings, and stories, whether realistic or fictional.
The University of Bahrain, being the largest source of creative youth in the Kingdom of Bahrain, decided to pave the way for its students to achieve this dream through the Creative Writing Program, which the English Language Center at the University of Bahrain was keen to launch over the past five years, in collaboration with the College of Charleston, state of South Carolina, the United States, and the U.S. Embassy in Manama.
The program receives 50 to 60 students annually for training under the supervision of graduate students at the College of Charleston. Then, 12 students are to be selected for the program.
Lujane Loay, a fourth-year student majoring in English language and literature, has long dreamt of being a distinguished writer, signing her publications at book fairs, and having a brilliant literary presence, but she did not know how to start. She states, “As soon as I received the creative writing program’s announcement last December, I immediately registered and enclosed one of my short stories. I was overjoyed when I was notified that I was accepted to join the program in February.”
Lujane met with the program supervisor and the rest of her colleagues weekly through Zoom. They learnt about different aspects of writing and its techniques and received useful tips and feedback that contributed to improving and refining their literary composition.
Lecturer at the English Language Center Diane Pryor praises the program. She states, “This program helps students develop their skills and abilities, encourages them to pursue their dreams. In addition, it provides societal and cultural awareness, and encourages creative thinking and expression.” She points out that this is evidenced by the fact that one of the program graduates proceeded to continue her education in writing at Harvard University, the United States, and another is currently working for the “Gulf Daily News”. Creative writing is an innovative reflection of personal hopes and visions and is the outcome of a repertoire of emotions and personal experiences, stemming from a literary talent and passion for writing and reading that develops through training, knowledge, and accumulation of experiences and linguistic abilities.
Professor of Creative Writing at the College of Charleston, Dr. Brett Lott, recalls the beginning of his journey and association with the University of Bahrain. He gave some lectures and workshops in the Kingdom of Bahrain. During one of his visits to the University of Bahrain, he met Dr. David Diller from the Department of English Language and Literature, and they discussed if graduate students at the College of Charleston can provide students of the University of Bahrain with a program on creative writing. The idea turned into a project, through the collaboration of the Grants and Programs Coordinator at the U.S. Embassy in Manama, Ali Siwar, with the American Studies Center at the University of Bahrain, to arrange for the launch of the program in 2018.
Dr. Lott witnessed the students’ development and their love for the written word. He states, “The word is a lifeline. Words give us order and inner peace. They build bridges and establish relationships. Word was the means that bridged the distance between a college in the United States of America and a university in the Kingdom of Bahrain.”
The College of Charleston selected and collected the literary works in a book titled “Under the Bahraini Sky”. The idea of the title was inspired from the poem “Staring at the Stars Under the Bahraini Sky” by student Hafsa Nasr El-Din, a student of the first batch of the program.
Dr. Lott states proudly, “We have come a long way in writing, as the first published book was written by 11 male and female students, and it included 22 short stories and 18 poems. This year’s book contained 20 short stories and 30 poems by 11 students.”
Dr Lott adds “To give an artistic touch to the literary works, which has a local and special character and stemming from students as well, we asked the students to share some of their artworks to incorporate in the book cover. We then finally selected the artwork of the students Fatima Mohammed Ayub for 2020, Fazila Nasodeen for 2021, and Ayeshah Khaled Mohamad for 2022.”
Aisha states, “Amidst the university assignments and exams, this program was a glimmer of hope, a space for relaxation amidst stress and anxiety, and an opportunity to learn how to write poetry professionally. She smiles comfortably adding, “I was very happy that my artwork was selected for the book cover.”
Aside from the program’s agenda, Dr. Lott organized other events. He presented a symposium on fiction writing for university students and accompanied the students to meet with a group of Bahraini writers in an event for reading literary works at the Westin Hotel and participating in some community service work.
The end of the program does not mean the end of everything. Student Lujane stresses that the program has a positive impact in her life, as it contributed to improving her self-confidence and developed her skills in writing, public speaking, dialogue and sharing opinions. In addition, it taught her constructive criticism, listening to others, and benefiting from feedback. Lujain says, “It was a great experience. In addition to the valuable information and written advice provided by our supervisor, Elsie Laske, we had a wonderful group of friends in Bahrain and abroad, to continue to work with passion and share our writing. If I had the opportunity to go through this experience again, I would agree without hesitation.”
