Creative Writing Conference
Asian English Teachers’ Creative Writing Group
Dr. V. S. Rai
Associate Professor
Departement of English Education
Tribhuvan University
Asian English Teachers’ Creative Writing Group organized a 2 day conference at Little Angel’s School, Hattiban, Kathmandu. About 200 teachers attended the conference. The presenters were 2 from the UK, 4 from Malaysia, 2 from Vietnam, 1 from Indonesia, 2 from India, 1 from Thailand and 4 from Nepal. The main attractions of the conference were the plenary sessions by Prof. Alan Maley from the UK, Prof. Jayakaran Mukundan from Malaysia and Prof. Jai Raj Awasthi and Vishnu S Rai from Nepal. Every aspect of creative writing -from how can teachers themselves write to how they can help their students write – was covered. Despite the fact that creative writing was something new for the participants, their presence in overwhelming number suggested how keen Nepalese English teachers are to learn new tricks of their trade.
What participants liked most was that all the sessions provided them with the practical activities which provided them with the opportunity to experience the thrill and sensation of creative writing and learn how they can write creatively and teach their students to write creatively by doing. The conference was successful to make the participant realize that creative writing can be done by non-native speaker of English, that it is really very interesting and that students can learn English better through creative writing activities.
A lot of institutions joined their hands together to make the conference and workshop successful. Asian English Teachers’ Creative Writing Group was assisted to conduct the conference and workshop by the British Council Nepal, Grammar School Group, Little Angel’s School and Bhundipuran Prakashan. NELTA central office also gave moral support by being present in the conference.
The importance and use of creative writing were carried by the wind quite far to Pokhara from where NELTA Branch Pokhara requested the Asian English Teachers’ Creative Writing Group to conduct a workshop. So after the conference, a two day creative writing workshop was held in Lake City which was facilitated by Alan Maley and Vishnu S Rai. About 40 participants from Pokhara, Syangja, Navalparasi, Tanhu and Rupandehi districts were present in the workshop.
So far as I have realized CREATIVITY is a must for learners’ smooth linguistic flow. The conference must have had a great impact on the participants. I wish I could have been one of them. Let me place some curiosities:
Could I know what practically happened in the conference and the workshop?
Could I be hopeful to have such an experience in or near Birgunj in the near future?
When did the conference take place?
Suresh ji, thanks for your observations and inquiry. I will be very happy if this program could be cascaded in Birgunj. If you could take the initiative, I would request Dr. Rai, Prem Phyak and others. Please contact me and let us discuss its feasibility.
yes ! it’s sound good that some people are really working hard for the Birgunj ! great job ! and thx feom the vain of my body !
Dear VS Rai Sir,
I would like to stand by the request made by Sajan Karn to cascade the program in Birgunj and I am sure that there is feasibility of creativity. I am very happy to know the programme related to creative writing was held outside valley as well.
In my view, organizing creative writing workshop/mini conference outside valleys like Pokhara, Biratnagar, Hetauda, Birgunj, etc. is also a kind of creativeness. We people of the region would be very glad if the program organized in our areas well. This will sure to increase knowledge and skills of ELT personnel.