An interaction program on creative writing was held at the Mini-auditorium of Kathmandu University on Tuesday, July 2, 2013. Samrat Upadhyay, A Nepalese writer who writes in English was the focus of the program. Samrat visited Kathmandu University with his two graduate students from Indiana University, Trevor Mackesey and John Thomas Howard (JT) who have also embraced writing in their career path.

   Being the part of the regular program of Department of Languages and Mass Communication, the session was chaired by Prof. Jangab Chauhan (HoD). The department offers courses of Creative Writing in Nepali and English as part of their curriculum for Bachelor of Media Studies students. Kashiraj Pandey, Asst. Professor in the department commenced the program at 10.30 am with a short introduction of the speakers. The program got its shape after Samrat, Trevor, and JT started to share their experience on how they came to the field of writing, leaving their previous vocations. They highlighted the importance of writing in our daily lives.

Samrat’s analogy of any writer’s first impulse as seed for a plant and repeated revisions of writing as the process of blossoming a flower was well celebrated by the participating students and professors. As our emotions can change, writings also get modified according to the need of time, space, audience, and the circumstances. As language is itself a magic, the context and “how the words are chosen and placed is equally important in a good writing”, shared Samrat.

Students from Media Studies and faculty members actively participated in the Question-Answer session too. The program that continued for 2 hours was thus encouraging to all aspiring writers as all the speakers confirmed that our background and way of involvement in the society work as the driving force in what we create through writing.