Creative edge: The write approach

A pioneering group of writers has set up the UAE's first literary guild to help budding authors get their works published.

The Emirates Literary Guild comprises a mix of self-published authors and journalists who have come together to form a support network that they hope will eventually include publishers, literary agents and illustrators. The guild wants to encourage Emiratis to write more about their culture and experiences of living in Dubai.
Dedra Stevenson, an Emirati- American and author of Hakima's Tales, said: “There is tremendous untapped potential not just within the Emirati population but also among the expat community in Dubai for writing and we want to help promote that.''

Members said writers struggle to get their work read by publishing houses. “We want to build up contacts so that if people want their works to get published we can point them in the right direction. It's not just writers. We want
photographers, illustrators, publishers, distributors and agents on board,'' said Stevenson.

Elizabeth Schanche Lingjaerde, a Norwegian journalist and author, said although there is a rich tradition of orally telling stories in the UAE, not much of it has been put down on paper. She said: “Dubai is a unique society and that means the stories we have to tell are different from elsewhere.''

Ilham Shebani, a British-Arab expat, said: “Major cities like London and New York are famous as much through their culture as anything else and we want to push that for Dubai.''

To join the group, call Stevenson on 050-451 6673 or e-mail her at dedrastevenson@yahoo.com.