North South University’s (NSU) Department of English and Modern Languages (DEML) hosted the closing ceremony for its inaugural Certificate Course in Creative Writing on 25 April 2026, a press release said.
The event, successfully executed through the combined efforts of DEML faculty and students alike, was attended by Professor Nasar U. Ahmed, Pro-Vice Chancellor, NSU; Professor Abdur Rob Khan, Treasurer, NSU; Dr. Nazia Manzoor, Chair, DEML, NSU; and other distinguished faculty members from various departments at NSU.
The ceremony began with an introductory speech by Dr. Nazia Manzoor, who appreciated the efforts of the instructors who made the course a success. This was followed by poetry recitations by a few of the nineteen participants of the certificate course, as well as participants from previous slam poetry events hosted by DEML. Each performance demonstrated creativity and originality, and reflected skills acquired and honed through the course. The Pro Vice-Chancellor also graced the program with an original poem, reciting a piece he had written about his mother on the occasion of International Mother Language Day.
The ceremony came to a close with all course participants being presented with certificates of course completion, with a promise of many more sessions to be conducted by DEML in the near future.
The course itself ran from February 27 to April 24 for the inaugural cohort, focusing primarily on developing writing skills for short stories and poetry. Throughout the duration of the course, students attended classes conducted in workshop format by multiple NSU faculties, covering key proficiencies in both writing and editing. Notably, two of these classes were conducted by guest instructors, including award-winning British-Bangladeshi novelist Zia Haider Rahman and eminent translator, critic, and academic Professor Kaiser Hamidul Haq.
The next iteration of the DEML Creative Writing Certificate Course is set to begin in Summer 2026.
