Write to Reconcile announces its exciting new programme

Write to Reconcile, a free creative writing programme with an emphasis on reconciliation, begins its third consecutive  programme on March 29 with some exciting new changes: an emphasis on post war themes and also greater diaspora involvement.

In addition, the award-winning writer, Nayomi Munaweera, will join the Project Director, the internationally renowned Sri Lankan author, Shyam Selvadurai, to form the creative team behind the Project.

Write to Reconcile was inaugurated in 2012 by Shyam Selvadurai. This innovative writing project, conducted in English, brings together emerging writers from Sri Lanka and the Sri Lankan diaspora, between the ages of 18 to 29, as well as Sri Lankan teachers and professors, who are interested in writing fiction, memoir or poetry on the issues of conflict, peace, reconciliation, memory and trauma, as they relate to Sri Lanka, with an emphasis on the period after the war.

The entire programme is free of charge, all expenses of the participants are met by the organization. Only 25 participants in total will be selected. Over the course of a week- long residential workshop (optional for members of the diaspora) and two 3-week online forums, participants will learn the craft of writing and produce work that addresses the themes of the project.

The work produced by the participants will be published in the Write to Reconcile Anthology 3 and distributed free island-wide, as well internationally, through an online version. The previous 2 anthologies can be read at www.writetoreconcile.com.

The project is funded by the American Centre. This is the third year the American Centre has been a sponsor of the programme.“The U.S. Embassy strongly supports important initiatives like Write to Reconcile to open the dialogue on reconciliation and bridge the experiences of different communities in Sri Lanka,” said Nicole Chulick, Public Affairs Counselor at the U.S. Embassy said in a statement.

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The call for applications go out on March 29th. Anyone interested in participating can join the Project’s Facebook page or send an email to writetoreconcile@gmail.com and ask to be put on the mailing list to receive an application. Applications can also be downloaded at www.writetoreconcile.com.