Literary excellence: Pakistan English Conference kicks off at Kinnaird

The two-day event features writers from Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad and Faisalabad

LAHORE: Works of Pakistani writers in English were featured at the inaugural session of the Pakistan English Conference 2016 at Kinnaird College for Women on Wednesday.

The event was attended by scores writers and academics who spoke on creative and critical aspects of Pakistani English writing.

The two-day conference features scholars, researchers and academics from Lahore, Karachi, Islamabad and Faisalabad. The participating speakers from Kinnaird College (KC), Forman Christian College University (FCCU), Government College University (GCU) Lahore, Punjab University (PU), Beaconhouse National University (BNU), Lahore University of Management Science (LUMS) and University of Sargodha (UoS) presented their papers on contributions of Pakistani writers to classical and contemporary literature.

Speaking on the occasion, KC Principal Rukhsana David said that the event had given students of Kinnaird College an opportunity to interact with English writers and learn from their experiences.

She said, “The finest works of Pakistani writers are being presented in the conference and this is the best opportunity for students to learn from their techniques.” she said.

International Centre for Pakistani Writings in English (ICPWE) founding director Athar Tahir said that the ICPWE was the only centre dedicated to creating a critical mass of work focusing on Pakistani novelists, playwrights, poets, essayists, authors, translators and critics.

He said since its inception, the ICPWE had raised awareness for appreciation of Pakistani literature among masses.

He said ICPWE’s first publication The Last Tea had received critical acclaim in several research papers.

An evening session for prose and poetry recitals was also held, where works of established and emerging writers were highlighted.

The conference will end on Thursday (today) and sessions include Pakistani Narratives in English, The Last Tea, Pakistani Poetry in English and Face to Face with Kanza Javed.

The conference has been organised by ICPWE in collaboration with Kinnaird College for Women.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 18^th,  2016.