Concluoding The Sixth Edition of The Creative Writing Program in Cooperation with The College of Charleston Dr. Bulaila: More Than 100 Students Learn About International Experiences in Scientific Writing and Publishing

Sakhir – University of Bahrain (Khadijah Abdusalem)

7 May 2023

The Dean of the College of Arts at the University of Bahrain (UoB), Dr. Abdulaziz Mohammed Bulaila, confirmed that in six years more than 100 students have benefited from the creative writing program in cooperation with the College of Charleston, which contributed to refining their creative talents, in a rich educational environment, which allowed them to learn about international experiences in creative writing and scientific publishing, which is one of the pillars of sustainability in the axis of quality education and global partnerships and is in line with the Kingdom of Bahrain’s economic vision 2030, the most important of which is linking education outputs to the needs of the labor market.

Furthermore, Dr. Bulaila added that the College of Arts is examining the importance of opening a new major in creative writing and artistic production to meet the labor market needs in writing and directing, as the College has a group of studios with international specifications in the University’s media center, and that the cooperation between UoB and the College of Charleston shall continue for the coming years.

This came during the closing ceremony of the sixth edition of the Creative Writing Program, that is being organized in cooperation with the College of Charleston in the United States of America, under the auspices of the President of UoB, Dr. Jawaher bint Shaheen Al-Mudhahka, on Tuesday (May 2, 2023), where 12 students participating in the program were honored in the presence of their parents, and a session was held to listen to some of their literary works.

For his part, Director of the Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing Program at the College of Charleston, Prof. Dr. Brett Lott, expressed his happiness at the success of the Creative Writing Program at UoB, which develops a number of skills that can be used in several fields, in addition to the English language.

The College of Arts organized the Creative Writing Program for all university students wishing to participate, as 12 students were selected to participate in the program this year in the categories of poetry and fiction writing. The program lasted from February to May and resulted in publishing a book written by students under the title “Under the Bahraini Sky”.

The ceremony was attended by program supervisors from the College of Charleston, Lorne Chambers and Elsie Lusk, and from the US Embassy, Public Diplomacy Assistant Specialist Natasha Ben-Kamara, and the Grants and Program Coordinator at the Embassy, Ali Siwar.

While from UoB, Dr. Ghada Ahmed Jassim, Head of the English Language and Literature Department at UoB, and Diane Prieur, a lecturer at the English Language Center, attended the event.