Most Arab universities do not offer creative writing courses, but writers like the Kuwaiti novelist Taleb Alrefai try to make up for this by holding workshops for talented young Arab writers.
Alrefai has held workshops on creative writing in several Arab capitals, like Kuwait, Abu Dhabi, Riyadh, and Amman. He also worked with official and private institutions to highlight the importance of teaching creative writing.
While he teaches a course in creative writing for the American University of Kuwait, he regrets that “most Arab universities lack an academic specialisation in creative writing, yet it is a subject of high importance at American and European universities and institutes.”
In a recent interview, Alrefai told Al-Fanar Media that creative writing has become a life necessity, thanks to the spread of social media and their users’ indulgence in expressing themselves.
The reception of his workshops varies from one workshop to another, based on students’ knowledge, number, creativity level, and the extent of their harmony with him and with one another.