In the opening session of Dhaka Lit Fest 2018, Festival Director Sadaf Saaz spoke strongly about the DLF’s commitment towards education and the enlightenment of young minds. As such, Day 1 featured a creative writing workshop for young adults by Indian-American author Mitali Perkins.
Perkins, who has authored 12 books for young adults, and is in Dhaka to promote Rickshaw Girls, a film based on her novel by the same name, spoke about the elements of good storytelling, providing examples about word choices to liven up a description.
The interactive session then had participants take up paper and pencils to use for a seven-minute writing exercise, bringing a scene to life, using the literary devices suggested by the workshop moderator. At the end of the exercise, Perkins read out a few of the entries, taking time to point out the strengths of each piece, and to volunteer further tips about writing. The session ended with a short Q/A session.