The Dubai International Program for Writing (DIPW), one of the leading knowledge initiatives of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation (MBRF), launched the first phase of its Book Criticism Workshop. The four-month-long workshop, which encompasses four seminars and is held under the guidance of trainer Dr. Saleh Hwaidi, seeks to upskill young people in the fields of creative writing, reviewing, and criticizing books in a professional and systematic manner.
His Excellency Jamal bin Huwaireb, CEO of the MBRF, highlighted the significant role of the workshop in training young people on methodologies in the areas of constructive criticism of books, stimulating creativity, and improving their creative writing and critical skills.
H.E. also pointed out that the launch of this workshop comes in line with the ongoing endeavors of the MBRF to initiate positive change collectively by strengthening the abilities of young people, raising their level of cognitive awareness, and empowering them by providing opportunities to become a creative and inventive generation that can reshape the future. The Book Criticism Workshop offers an active platform to empower young people who are keen to enhance their skills in the field of literary criticism as well as their systematic and logical expression of opinion.
The workshop, which will be conducted virtually through Microsoft Teams, seeks to train participants to read books from a critical and analytical perspective and support them with tools to boost their expertise in the scientific formulation of impressions and ideas.
Through a series of exercises and applied models on books of various genres and their purposes, the workshop will help participants hone their skills in literary criticism and expression. It also seeks to help participants recognize the central idea, clear up any misunderstandings, and bridge the gap between the reader and the book.
Additionally, the workshop aims to nurture young critics with a positive outlook, provide spaces for interest in published and reviewed books, strengthen the culture of evaluating and reviewing newly published books, and make it easier for readers to access these works.
DIPW aims to encourage young talents in various fields of knowledge, ranging from science and research to literature, fiction, and poetry, and to enrich intellectual and literary movements in the UAE and around the world. It intends to attain this objective by enrolling young people in specialized training programs, focusing on various fields of writing, overseen by elite Arab and international trainers.