creative writing
ESSAY / ‘The day begins wrong’: Mastering tension and suspense in fiction
In my creative writing classes, whether at the University of Toronto or the Hermitage Residency in Bangladesh, I emphasise that any student of fiction must first master suspense
Talespeople Spiels / A house a bit bigger on the inside
Playing with a location that seems real but is not is a tricky line to negotiate, and writer beware: you will be attacked
ESSAY / To read as an academic: The transformative journey of a reader turned student
I became curious as to how the experience of reading might change for someone who studied it for a living, and how the lens of a literature student might differ from that of a creative writing one
ESSAY / The first semester is your shitty first draft
Like many veterans, I joined a creative writing MFA program because I wanted to evolve as a writer.
CREATIVE NONFICTION / Patuatuli and a young girl’s love for glasses
My love affair with spectacles has long been regarded by my mother as nothing but a symptom of my dramatic nature.
CREATIVE NONFICTION / Homeward
When I was born, my skin was dark, like my grandfather’s, in whose arms I discovered my first home. Relatives old and new, whose disappointment was being nursed by my parents’ fair complexions, looked from afar as my rotund cheeks melted into the sleeves of my dada’s discolored half-sleeve shirt.
OPINION / What you call your own
As an Anglophone writer in Bangladesh, I’ve frequently faced the rather inane question of why I write in English.
Pandemic Nocturne 1: December Dirge
Ask me not of Grief. For I have been burnt by its friendly fire with blood and bits of oozing mortal flesh spun flaky and ashen by its biting cold breath.
ULAB Creative Writing Certificate Course returns
This year’s sessions will be facilitated by eminent academics, writers, and professionals in their field, such as Professor Kaiser Haq, Professor Syed Manzoorul Islam, Professor Azfar Hussain, Professor Shamsad Mortuza, Arifa Ghani Rahman, and Maisha Hossain.
How academic writing took a toll on my creative writing skills
Writing is a demanding mental activity, whether for pleasure or for a class, it should never be taken lightly.
I wanted to become a writer. Did I need to study creative writing?
I was losing myself gradually, and that is when I decided to seek out freelance writing.
Sehri Tales in person—with Sister Library this time
An evening storytelling and writing around the "chimera that is memory", organized by Sister Library and Sehri Tales.
Today's selections: Curtain call on Sehri Tales 2023
The top selections in poetry, flash fiction and artwork for Day 29 of the Sehri Tales challenge; prompt: Curtains
At least we tried
Sharing one’s work, whether it is through publishing the old-fashioned way, self-publishing, bringing out an ebook, or simply posting a vignette on social media, can be daunting—a bit like undressing in public.
‘Song Title’: Sehri Tales selections, Day 24
The top selections in poetry, flash fiction and artwork for Day 24 of the Sehri Tales challenge; prompt: Song Title
‘Hurt’: Sehri Tales selections, Day 22
The top selections in poetry, flash fiction and artwork for Day 22 of the Sehri Tales challenge; prompt: Hurt
Escapril: How a poetry writing challenge curates community
The Instagram account for Escapril posts all 30 prompts for the month ahead of time, and the poet is only required to write by taking inspiration from said prompts
‘Drinks with a Ghost’: Sehri Tales selections, Day 21
The top selections in poetry, flash fiction and artwork for Day 21 of the Sehri Tales challenge; prompt: Drinks with a Ghost
‘Cow’: Sehri Tales selections, Day 17
The top selections in poetry, flash fiction and artwork for Day 17 of the Sehri Tales challenge; prompt: Cow