The International Writers Workshop of Hong Kong Baptist University was held on November 2nd at UIC. Six visiting writers Ms. Brit Bildøen, Mr. Hans Christoph Buch, Mr. Alan Cherchesov, Ms. Mathilde Walter Clark, Mr. Erich Wolfgang Skwara, and Ms. Merja Virolainen shared their works and had group discussions with UIC students.
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| Group photo of visiting writers |
Prof. Sung Mei-Hua, the Dean of Humanities and Social Sciences, gave welcome speech on behalf of UIC. She emphasized that the workshop is a very good opportunity for UIC students to know worldwide literature, broad horizons, and improve their writing ability. “Gathering of all these international writers at Zhuhai also shows that China has more international communication now.” said Prof. Sung.
After short self introductions, writers read their works for audiences.
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| visiter writer is communicating with students |
Mr. Hans Christoph BUCH, who has published and edited more than 30 books, read What is Human in two different languages. Mr. Erich Wolfgang SKWARA, the famous poet, translator and fiction writer, read the Secret Kings for students. Ms. Mathilde Walter CLARK read an absorbing letter named Thank You for the River. Ms. Merja Virolainen, the President of the Critical Academy Writing School in Helsinki, read two poems that both describe the life of a little girl living with her grandparents in the countryside. Mr. Alan Cherchesov, a fiction writer who can speak more than three languages, read a short essay named Profession Deceiver. The last speaker Ms. Brit Bildøen showed her poem Selected From All There Is.
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| visiter writer is communicating with students |
Then the group discussions opened in Room B102. Students exchanged thoughts and ideas with the writers. In Ms. Clark’s group, she shared her experience in writing and process of writing in details. Many year 4 students raised questions about difficulties and dilemmas they came across in their final year project. Ms. Clark gave them suggestion with her own experiences and perspectives, which enlightened them a lot.
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| visiter writer is communicating with students |
The group of Ms. Brit Bildøen was mainly talking about academic issues. Such as stream of consciousness, poetry writing and lyrics writing. When be asked about the feedback of this activity, she expressed her delight and interests. The form of group discussions and the freedom atmosphere strengthened the interactivity between writers and students.
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| visiter writer is communicating with students |
A student said she learned a lot from these experienced and distinguished writers. It was really an amazing activity.
Founded in 2004, The International Writers Workshop of HKBU is one of the two international writer’s workshop in the world, with high reputation of creativity, broad perspectives, and plentiful activities. The Workshop invite 6 to 9 writers world widely every year as visiting writers to hold a four-week seminar involved experience discussion, public speech, and oral reading. Since 2007, The International Writers Workshop of HKBU has visited UIC continuously, to build up a good platform for literature communication and investigation.
Reporter: Dong Hanxiao, Deng Yawen
Photo: Wei Shen, Jin Tian
Translator: Fan Yiqiu, Dong Wenhua
Editor: Echo Li
MPRO
