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.

September 15, 2022
September 15, 2022

SHOUTxDS Books presents ‘Slam Poetry Nights’ — Episode 1

The poems ranged from mental health issues to individual freedom of expression and every musing in between.

September 15, 2022
September 15, 2022

The possibilities of slam poetry

The evening of September 8 at The Daily Star Centre saw an outpouring of verses to a live and very interactive audience. Daily Star Books and SHOUT jointly launched our series of Slam Poetry Nights—an evening, every month, of verses recited in the spirit of creative freedom.

September 7, 2022
September 7, 2022

South Asia Speaks creative writing mentorship open for applications

The free, year-long fellowship for creative writers from South Asia, is accepting applications until September 30, 2022. 

August 16, 2022
August 16, 2022

Mashiul Alam joins prestigious Iowa International Writing Program

Journalist and author Mashiul Alam has been selected as a resident of the 2022 Iowa International Writing Program (IWP), among the world’s most prestigious creative writing residencies.

May 2, 2022
May 2, 2022

The Sehri Tales prompt is a Rorschach test for participants

If there is one thing that worries me a little, it is that the strong trend for themes of sexual violence that began to appear during lockdown, continues to be favoured by a significant number of our domestic writers.

April 21, 2022
April 21, 2022

Ramadan Maghfirat: How I channelled my rage into inspiration for Sehri Tales

I channelled my hurt, anger and frustration into poetry and flash fiction that had nothing to do with my agitator and her cronies.

October 28, 2021
October 28, 2021

Matthew Salesses demystifies the craft of writing

Storytelling is a space in which, as writers and readers, we experience the ways of how we know the world and interact with it.

October 3, 2021
October 3, 2021

Abul Mansur Ahmad Smriti Parishad holds creative writing and research workshop

The Abul Mansur Ahmad Smriti Parishad held the award giving ceremony for its fourth annual essay competition, commemorating journalist, author, historian, and politician Abul Mansur Ahmad, yesterday at 4 pm at The Daily Star Center. A day-long workshop on creative writing, editing, and research accompanied the programme. 

February 3, 2016
February 3, 2016

Inspiring storytellers to join Daily Star's silver jubilee gala

During 25 years of its journey, The Daily Star has unfolded inspiring stories and taken numerous initiatives to make a difference. In alignment with this spirit, The Daily Star arranged an online campaign marking 25 years of Journalism without fear and favour where online readers were urged to submit their inspiring stories.

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