Visiting poet helps creative writers

Friday afternoon the University of Belize Faculty of Arts will be hosting a workshop on creative writing. The three-hour event will be highlighted by readings from a visiting British poet, Sophie Hannah. Chair of U.B.’s Art Department Luana Sosa, says that the get together will be beneficial to students because it will put them face to face with an experienced and accomplished author.

Luana Moguel Sosa, Chair, Art Department

“It’s a creative writing workshop that we’ll be having and it will feature Mrs. Sophie Hannah, who will be lecturing on three genres of literature: the short story, the novel, and poetry. The workshop will fulfill U.B.’s social obligation to foster and promote creative thinking and writing abilities. It’s necessary for students be exposed to professional writers because the interaction with professional writers will de-mystify the belief that a writer is someone that you can not become or that you have to have special skills to be a writer.”

“The whole point I wan to get across is, it becomes tangible. You have this individual who is an accomplished writer, and she’s here, she’s speaking to you. So why would it be so difficult to become a writer yourself. You can learn from the person and see she’s flesh and blood. The idea is that she has certain skills, and techniques she has learned throughout her career and she’s offering you some of these same techniques that she uses, so you can learn from that. You can actually use that to ensure that you yourself will be able to write. You can use that in your own work, help you to be creative, more imaginative.”

The poet arrived late this evening and will be meeting with Governor General Sir Colville Young and other Belizean authors tonight at the Radisson.