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INFORMATION ON HOW TO APPLY
WHAT IS WRITE TO RECONCILE?
Write to Reconcile is a creative writing project undertaken by The National Peace Council, in
conjunction with the internationally renowned Sri Lankan author, Shyam Selvadurai, who will serve
as Project Director. The aim of the project is to bring together emerging Sri Lankan writers who are
interested in writing creative pieces (fiction, memoir or poetry) on the issues of conflict, peace,
reconciliation, memory and trauma, as they relate to Sri Lanka. Write to Reconcile seeks to develop a
community of like-minded individuals committed to contributing, through their writing, to the
process of peace and reconciliation in Sri Lanka; a community of individuals committed to also
reflecting the different points of views from the multiple communities that make up Sri Lanka.
Write to Reconcile will be conducted in English. It is open to all applicants who have Sri Lankan or
dual citizenship. It will consist of two four-day Residential Workshops and two Online Forums,
followed by the publication of the participants’ work in an anthology at a book launch. See details
below.
WHO CAN APPLY?
Anyone (student or non-student) between ages 18-29yrs
All Secondary School and University teachers
WHAT DO PARTICIPANTS PAY?
Nothing. Write to Reconcile will cover all transport, accommodation, food, supplies and even
provide a stipend during the residential workshops and the book launch.
WHEN DOES WRITE TO RECONCILE TAKE PLACE, AND WHAT HAPPENS DURING THE PROJECT?
A participant must attend all the activities below. The only optional activity is attending the book
launch in September 2013.
February 7th - 10th 2013.
A four- day Residential Creative Writing Workshop in Colombo. All participants, even those living in
Colombo, must stay in residence for the duration of this workshop. During the workshop, which will
be conducted by Shyam Selvadurai, participants will generate creative work through in-class
exercises specifically designed to produce creative work that deals with issues of conflict, peace,
reconciliation, trauma and memory. Participants will also learn the tools and techniques of editing.
There will be evening screenings of films that address these issues in an international context, and
evening visits by local artists. There will also be a cultural tour of Colombo, which has as its aim the
showcasing of the diverse cultures in the capital, as well as showcasing the intersection of
modernism with Sri Lanka’s older culture.
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Please note: While Write to Reconcile pays for participants’ transport (via bus or train) to and from
Colombo, participants are expected to make their own travel arrangements to Colombo and back.
We will, whenever possible, arrange for participants to travel in groups, chaperoned.
February 18th - March 15th 2013.
First 4-week Online Forum. Each participant contributes only 1 creative piece during the entire 4Week Online Forum. These pieces will be based on work that was inspired by the writing exercises
during the Colombo Residential Workshops. Participants will discuss and comment on the creative
pieces of fellow participants, supervised and directed by Shyam Selvadurai. Participants will also
discuss essays on writing and its intersection with politics along with pieces of published fiction and
non- fiction that address issues of conflict, peace, reconciliation, trauma and memory.
Please note: It is important that participants have access to a computer and internet services either
through a home computer, or a computer at an institution such as a school or NGO, or an internet
café. If participants do not have this access, Write to Reconcile will endeavour, where possible, to
match a participant with a local institution that can provide this access.
March 21st -24th 2013.
A four- day Residential Creative Writing Workshop in Jaffna. All participants, even those living in
Jaffna, must stay in residence for the duration of this workshop. Working with Shyam Selvadurai,
participants will hone their skills in editorial practices, as well as generate further creative work
through in-class exercises that will address the issue of conflict, peace, reconciliation, trauma and
memory. There will be further evening screenings of films and a visit by a local Jaffna artist. There
will also be a cultural tour of Jaffna, which will have as its aim the showcasing of Jaffna’s culture, its
distant and recent history and modern practices.
Please note: While Write to Reconcile pays for participants’ transport (via bus or train) to and from
Jaffna, participants are expected to make their own travel arrangements to Jaffna and back. We will,
whenever possible, arrange for participants to travel in groups, chaperoned.
April 1 -26th 2013.
Second 4 week Online Forum. This online forum will follow the same format as the first online
forum.
May- June 2013.
Participants, in consultation with Shyam Selvadurai, will select 1 of the 2 creative pieces they
workshopped during the online forums. They will work one-on-one with Shyam Selvadurai via email
to edit and prepare the selected piece for publication.
September 2013. The publication and launch of the Write to Reconcile anthology will take place in
Colombo. Participants who are interested in being present will be accommodated in Colombo.
Please note: While Write to Reconcile pays for participants’ transport (via bus or train) to and from
Colombo, participants are expected to make their own travel arrangements to Colombo and back.
We will, whenever possible, arrange for participants to travel in groups, chaperoned.
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HOW DO I APPLY?
Entry into Write to Reconcile is competitive and only 24 participants will be selected. Talent will be
one of the selection criteria but emphasis will also be given to the representation of ethnicity,
culture and disability among participants and the inclusion of participants from underprivileged
backgrounds. An equal number of women and men will be selected to participate in the project.
Application Steps:
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Fill out the application form below.
Prepare a creative piece, based on the instructions below.
Email your application and creative piece by Dec 30th 2012 to [email protected]
Applicant will be informed if they are selected or not by mid-January 2013 via email.
CREATIVE ENTRY
Your total submission for fiction or memoir must be between 1,500-3,000 words (approximately 3-5
pages), double spaced and have a 12 pt font. For poetry your total submission must be between 3-5
poems.
It is very important that your piece be a creative piece, with characters (real or imagined), scenes
and description (scenes are not necessary in poetry). Your piece should not be a piece of journalism,
nor an essay. Your creative piece must be set in Sri Lanka and, in some way, be about the history of
the ethnic conflict in the country. A piece of fiction or poetry does not have to be based on your
experience, or be about the community you come from. Please note: It is not necessary to finish your
fiction or memoir piece. What we are looking for is to see how you capture characters, scenes and
description in your writing.
FICTION OR POETRY WRITING PROMPTS
For Fiction pieces you can only use one prompt, either from Option 1 or Option 2. For poems, you
can use prompts for both Option 1 and Option 2.
OPTION 1:
Below are 6 sets of words. Use all the words in one of the sets to write a story. For poetry, you could
write a long poem, using only 1 set, or use different sets to write different poems. You cannot mix
words from one set with words in another set when creating different poems. Each poem must use
all the words in only one of the sets. Though the character in each set is designated “soldier,”
“doctor” etc, please feel free to give them names (for example, Dr. Lukshmi Thambiah, Corporal
Saman De Silva etc.).
SET 1: Soldier, telephone, flashlight, unhinged door.
SET 2: Little boy/girl, torn shirt, market, cart
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SET 3: Doctor, camera, telephone, gunfire
SET 4: Grandfather/grandmother, photo album, post office, camp
SET 5: Photographer, needle, dormitory, bicycle
SET 6: College student, crumpled paper, train, bomb
OPTION 2:
Write a story beginning with one of these opening sentences, or write poems using these sentences
as opening lines. Again, please feel free to give your characters names.
“He/She touched the little box in his/her pocket and smiled.”
“Behind him/her the noise escalated”
“The hallway was silent”
“The strange noises grew louder”
“They had nothing to say to each other”
“We are learning to make fire”
“It was one of the things he/she coveted the most”
“Some suicides are never recorded”
“Her/His laugh broke the silence”
MEMOIR PROMPTS
Begin a piece of memoir with one of the sentences below.
“My home makes me think of..”
“I wish someone had told me…”
“I once dreamed about..”
“My old room was…”
“I remember….”
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APPLICATION FORM
THE INFORMATION YOU SUPPLY ON THIS FORM WILL BE TREATED IN CONFIDENCE
Please note that the closing date for applications is December 30th 2012
Please email this application form and your creative piece to
[email protected]
Email both form and creative piece as attachments.
Section 1 Personal details
Title:
Sex:
Date of Birth:
Last Name:
First Name:
Address:
Home Telephone Number:
Mobile Telephone Number:
E-mail address:
Do you have access to a computer for the
online forums? Please underline the
appropriate answer
Yes
No
Yes
No
What are you currently doing in your life in
terms of work, studies etc.?
Do you have a physical disability? Please
underline the appropriate answer
If yes, please explain what special transport or
accommodation features your require:
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Section 2 Further Personal Details
What ethnic/religious community or communities
do you belong to?
If your parents are from different communities,
please list the communities. If you have married into
a different community, please list that community
too.
Please describe why you think you are a good candidate to participate in Write to Reconcile. If
necessary, attach another page.
How did you find out about us ?
(Facebook, e-mail, newspaper, friend/teacher)
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Section 4 Education (Only for applicants ages 18-29 years)
Date From
Date To
Name of School
Examinations taken and Qualifications Gained
Section 5 Employment (Only for teachers/professors)
Name and Address of
School/University
Date From
Date To
Job Title/Job Function/
Responsibilities: