Apply to Ala’s Writing Workshop

APPLICATIONS NOW CLOSED

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Join us for a free two-day writing workshop to learn about the fundamentals of research, writing and editing, discuss pathways to publication, and work on a short writing project!

After a fruitful inaugural edition of the Ala Writing Workshop in 2021, we’ve put together another two-day workshop where emerging writers and researchers can dig into the basics of writing, editing, pitching and publication, and flex their storytelling muscles by working on a writing project. 

Over the course of the last few years, we’ve had the pleasure of working with a long list of incredible writers, researchers and artists. At the same time, we’re committed to encouraging more students, researchers, and bloggers to write and create thoughtfully, and with authority about the topics that interest them. 

This September, we are inviting folks to participate in our two-day writing workshop aimed at developing the skills needed to research, write, edit and package writing in a way that speaks to the desired audience. 

Ala is committed to bridging worlds. We aim to bring together a diverse group of contributors and make niche subjects and specialist expertise accessible to broader audiences while encouraging creative expression, critical thinking and open dialogue. The workshop curriculum is grounded in this commitment — whether you are an academic looking to package your research for a wider audience, a writer or creator looking to learn how to conduct reliable research, or a student working to improve their research and writing, this workshop is for you. 

Everything you need to know before applying:

FORMAT 

The workshop will have two 3-4 hour sessions over two Saturdays. The workshop will be conducted virtually, on Zoom – and is accessible using a free Zoom account. During the two workshop sessions, our team and expert guest speakers will guide you through developing your research into pieces of writing for a general audience.

We will try to keep the workshop as interactive and engaging as possible! In order to ensure each participant receives ample support, and feedback, the workshop will be limited to a small group. 

We want this workshop to be a space for creation and exchange. Participants will be expected to work on an article throughout the course of the workshop. This can be an article, political or social commentary, or book or movie review. Participants will be expected to submit an abstract of the piece during the application process, and to bring a working draft to Session Two. During Session Two, the Ala team will provide participants with the feedback and support needed to turn their working draft into a publication-ready piece. Check out our website for ideas and inspiration on what you could write!

Please note that this is not an academic writing workshop that will provide instruction on how to write research papers for academic journals.

SCHEDULE

Day One | Saturday, September 3 (4-hour session): This session will be instructional. Participants will be taken through tips and best practices for writing research-backed articles and essays, and introduced to a bundle of skills that will enable them to become more confident writers.

Day Two | Saturday, September 10 (4-hour session): The session will be practical and interactive, and will include sessions on how best you can pitch and promote your writing online. During this session, participants will also receive feedback and suggestions on their writing project, and convert their working draft to a final product. Please bring a working draft of your project to the second session so we have something to work on together!

ELIGIBILITY

Whether you are a student, a researcher in any field, a blogger, or an artist—all are welcome. Since this is only a two-day workshop, to receive a participation certificate you must attend both days and complete the writing project. 

OUTPUT

As mentioned earlier, this workshop is an opportunity to work on a piece of writing with the support of members of the Ala team and fellow researchers. If your final product after this workshop is related to Kerala or Kerala studies, we at Ala will be happy to consider your work for publication. Last year’s workshop resulted in a special issue which featured participants’ work. 

The deadline to apply is August 05, 2022. For queries, please email us at [email protected].

CLICK HERE TO APPLY ONLINE.

If you would like to complete the application offline, please contact us for the application form.