Writing seriously in Pakistan is a rare sight, and any work being done in that direction is commendable. The LUMS Young Writers workshop held annually and founded in 2012 by award-winning Pakistani writer Bilal Tanweer is one such amazing opportunity. It’s fully funded too!
This year, held July 8th – 13th (5 days), there are 8 different workshops, each with their own instructor:
◘ Writing Self (Mahrukh Aamir)
◘ Writing Family (Noor Rehman)
◘ Writing Your Place (Aneeqa Wattoo)
◘ Writing Funny (Younis B. Azeem)
◘ Writing the Everyday (Usama Lali)
◘ Writing Feminist Fictions (Amna Chaudhry)
◘ Playwriting Workshop (Ali Junejo)
◘ Non-fiction Workshop (Sara Khan and Zuha Siddiqui)
5 participants will be selected for each of the fiction workshops, and 8 for non-fiction. That’s a fairly big group of writers living, eating and writing together. Guest writers are invited for a day – in the past they’ve included Bilal Hasan Minto, Mohammad Hanif, Saba Imtiaz, Shehan Karunatilaka, Sanam Maher, Mohsin Hamid, Musharraf Ali Farooqi, and Omar Shahid Hamid.
Are you excited? I sure am!

To apply, you have to submit a sample of your best work (less than 1000 words for fiction, a 200 word story idea for non-fiction) for your chosen workshop. A participant may only attend one workshop. The preferred age range is 18-24 (fiction workshops) and 18-30 (non-fiction workshop). Deadline for application is May 25th.
This workshop is a huge step in the right direction for young Pakistani writers. The youth of this country are full of promise and creativity, and any instance of work being put into ensuring that quality writing comes out of this country makes me happy. Click here to find out more, and to apply to the workshop.
Written by : raaziasajid
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