Creative Writing

Before I decided on English Literature, I had applied to the Creative Writing Program, and in anticipation had worked on several short stories and novellas, as well as a collection of poetry. Though I eventually decided to stick with English Literature, despite having been accepted, I had already taken a few creative writing courses and have had time to workshop my pieces with many others from the program. My first work of prose deals with a coming-of-age tale of a Pakistani-American boy who is estranged from his family, a character and protagonist forged from my own experiences growing up in a South Asian family. My second story, a novella chronicling the Russo-Ukraine war through the eyes of a resident draft dodger in the war-ravaged port city of Mariupol. The story was well received by both peers and faculty members, and am considering sending it out to different publications in the hope of getting my works published. While I don’t consider myself a mainstream writer, I do try to maintain a balance between the status quo and the niche, as to garner more success as a writer, but also to buoy a potential foray into the world of publishing.