The Olive Writers Summer Camp 2020, Morocco (Fully Funded)

The Olive Writers program aims to hone participants’ skills as creative writers while also putting them in contact with established writers who will serve as mentors, providing wider exposure for their creative work, introducing them to the publishing world, and granting them access to national and international support networks of fellow young writers.

The Summer Camp, our flagship program, co-organized with the American Language Center Casablanca, provides a six-day-long writing retreat for Moroccan writers between the ages of 16-21. Participants attend a daily bilingual (Arabic/English) creative writing workshop, as well as seminars on Arabic and American literature and lectures by leading writers, translators and publishers. During the camp, participants will draft, revise and refine a creative project that will be published by The Olive Writers as an e-book anthology.

The Summer Camp is co-sponsored by the American Language Center - Casablanca and the US. Embassy Rabat through the US. Department of State's Alumni Engagement Innovation Fund, with the support of the University of Iowa's International Writing Progam and the Jazz 3/4 association.

Participants will attend daily creative writing workshops (offered in Arabic or English), attend lectures by renowned writers, learn about literary translation and the publishing industry, revise and refine a creative project of their own, and become part of a dynamic community of fellow writers.

Benefit:
This is a fully-funded opportunity: Tuition, room, and board are provided free of charge to all accepted participants.

Requirement:

Passionate writers who are interested in developing their creative writing skills
Anyone between 16-23
You must be able to participate in the full week program.
International students in Morocco are eligible to apply.

How to Apply:

Complete an application form HERE
Submit the following application materials via email:

Writing sample — 2-3 pages (1,000 words maximum) of original creative prose and/or poetry, written in either Arabic or English
Writing assignment — 1-2 pages in response to the following writing prompt:

In an essay for Financial Times, Arundhati Roy referred to the pandemic as “a portal.” She wrote:
"Historically, pandemics have forced humans to break with the past and imagine their world anew. This one is no different. It is a portal, a gateway between one world and the next.
We can choose to walk through it, dragging the carcasses of our prejudice and hatred, our avarice, our data banks and dead ideas, our dead rivers and smoky skies behind us. Or we can walk through lightly, with little luggage, ready to imagine another world. And ready to fight for it."

Write a piece of fiction or non-fiction inspired by this quote in which you imagine the world of tomorrow.

(To read the full essay, visit: https://cutt.ly/1ydspET)

Statement of purpose — In 300 words, describe in English or in Arabic why creative writing is important in your life. Please also discuss the difficulties or challenges you have faced in your writing, as well as what you hope to learn at the program.
A photo of yourself
Optional — One Letter of Recommendation