Write from the Heart: Seddiqi Holding's mentorship programme for young writers
Hind Abdul Hamied Seddiqi, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer and Director General, Seddiqi Holding. © Seddiqi Holding.
In March 2022, when the 14th edition of the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature got underway, so did the first year-long edition of First Chapter, the ELF Seddiqi Writers’ Fellowship. The programme, the first of its kind in the region, is a platform for aspiring writers from the UAE aiming to identify and nurture emerging writing talent, elevating it to an international standard and bringing it to global attention. Launched by the Emirates Literature Foundation [ELF], in partnership with Seddiqi Holding. Called First Chapter, the ELF Seddiqi Writers’ Fellowship offers 10 writers access to experts in the industry, with one-to-one mentorship from international authors such as top crime writer Mark Billingham; Yrsa Siguroardottir, the Queen of Nordic Noir; Shahad Al Rawi, the youngest writer to ever make the Arabic Booker Prize shortlist and one of Kuwait’s most celebrated writers, Taleb Al Refai. There are exclusive workshops from a range of master storytellers, including internationally acclaimed authors Ian Rankin and Alexander McCall Smith. The programme will provide introductions to international agents, editors and publishers. Successful applicants can personalise their writing journey with vouchers to take part in short writing classes from global partner writing institutions, such as Gotham Writers Workshop and the Faber Academy.
Abdulmagied Seddiqi, Co-Founder of Seddiqi Holding, Abdul Hamied Ahmed Seddiqi, Chairman, Mohammed Abdul Hamied Seddiqi, Senior Finance Director, Mohammed Abdulmagied. Seddiqi, Chief Commercial Officer, Osama Ibrahim Seddiqi, Vice Chairman and Chief Financial Officer, Hassan Abdulmagied Seddiqi, Chief Human Capital Officer, Hind Abdul Hamied. Seddiqi, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer and Director General, Mahra Seddiqi, Senior Director and Muna Mohammed Seddiqi, Senior Creative Director. © Seddiqi Holding.
“Our hope is that over the next five years, this fellowship will create a notable pool of authors based in the UAE, with audiences all over the world,” said Ahlam Bolooki, Festival Director of the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature. “The writing scene within the UAE and the Arab World is not as developed as it is in many other parts of the world. We know there are many within the region who have fascinating stories to tell, but just need to find their voice, and the right way to tell their stories.” The fellowship is directed at those who are already on their way to completing their first major piece of work – a novel or a poetic piece – all genres of fiction are accepted. The initiative aims to discover those with exceptional potential and is exclusive for residents of the UAE. ELF is a not-for-profit organisation which supports and nurtures the love of literature in the UAE and the region, through cultural initiatives. The festival is the UAE’s premier literary event and features international and regional writers, poets, thinkers and speakers from around the world.
Hind Seddiqi, Isobel Abulhoul, Founder, CEO & Trustee Emirates Literature Foundation and Ahlam Bolooki, Festival Director, Emirates Airlines Festival of Literature. Image courtesy of Emirates Airline Festival of Literature.
Hind Seddiqi and author Shahad Al Rawi speaking at the Announcement of the Winners of First Chapter of ELF - Seddiqi Writer’s Fellowship. Image courtesy of Emirates Airline Festival of Literature.
Q&A with Seddiqi Hamied Abdul Hind, Chief Marketing and Communications officer at Seddiqi Holding and Director General of Dubai Watch Week
Can you please explain what inspired you to start First Chapter, the ELF Seddiqi Writers’ Fellowship in partnership with the Emirates Literature Foundation?
Storytelling is an important part of our lives, across a professional and personal level. We have all grown up around folktales and fairytales but the majority of what we grew up around was either published a long time ago or from acclaimed international writers. We rarely come across best sellers that are linked to our region and culture. After discussing this lack of attention towards regional literature with Ahlam Bolooki, Festival Director of the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature, we identified many reasons as to why they are not being recognised internationally. Many writers are unaware of the process of being published, they send too many manuscripts or copies out that they end up being leaked in the market and lose the chance to get picked up by a renowned publisher, or they have a good story but are missing key elements in the style or plot of the story, amongst other issues.
Recipients of First Chapter, the ELF Seddiqi Writers’ Fellowship, were awarded at a ceremony during the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature. Image courtesy of Emirates Airline Festival of Literature.
Ahlam Bolooki, Festival Director, Emirates Airlines Festival of Literature. Image courtesy of Emirates Airline Festival of Literature.
Storytelling is an important part of our lives, across a professional and personal level. We have all grown up around folktales and fairytales but the majority of what we grew up around was either published a long time ago or from acclaimed international writers.
This is when we decided we need to help them establish a programme for aspiring writers, nurturing them from the very beginning, help connect them with the right mentors and publishers and steer them towards reaching their maximum potential. And the best format we found was a mentorship programme as it is immersive and personalised to their needs.
Why is it important to you personally to support young writers of the next generation?
I personally love reading. I find a lot of calmness and joy when I am immersed in books. The books I read give me so much pleasure and transport me to so many places with their imagination and I continue to learn and expand my knowledge and experience. In today’s world of digitalisation we need to make sure that writers continue to publish books and share their knowledge on paper rather than on vlogs and social media. We need to encourage the younger generation, who are creative and artistic, to put pen to paper so that others can catch a glimpse of their multi-faceted imagination. It’s a culture and form of expression we need to preserve.
The First Chapter ELF Seddiqi Writers’ Fellowship involves a total of 40 hours of guided learning in the form of workshops, meetups and talks that aims to cover all stages of writing, publishing and promoting a book. Image courtesy of Emirates Airline Festival of Literature.
Although this is for both English and Arabic writers, is the emphasis here on inspiring young people to write more in Arabic?
The purpose is not only to enable Arabic writers from the UAE to gain a voice internationally but also to inspire any writer who live in the UAE to aim for international publication. We actually received a very healthy number of Arabic entries which was very reassuring and we are humbled to encourage anyone who has a dream to be published to participate.
How much input do you have on the programme and are you involved in selecting the mentors or the workshop topics?
We are very involved and that was the first thing we agreed on with the Emirates Literature Foundation [ELF] team. This is an initiative we are extremely passionate about and we do not want to be a classic sponsor and not support across all elements. We have been part of the process every step of the way from approving mentors and publishers that were selected, to approving the programme offerings and it’s been a great partnership with Emirates Literature Foundation.
The selection process for the 2022 award involved three judges, namely Alexander McCall Smith, Ali sparkes and Anna Kantaria. Image courtesy of Emirates Airline Festival of Literature.
Launch of the Fellowship. © Seddiqi Holding.
Announcement of the Winners of First Chapter of ELF - Seddiqi Writer’s Fellowship. Image courtesy of Emirates Airline Festival of Literature.
The selection of the winners was exclusively managed by the ELF team and the assigned mentors. We will keep in touch with ELF to receive progress reports as we begin the next phase of the fellowship and together continue to review progress and rework the format, if required, to ensure it meets its objectives. This agility is a luxury we have because of the trust we have in each other. The ELF and Seddiqi Holding teams are both passionate about this venture and will work towards ensuring its success.
Hind Seddiqi speaking at the Announcement of the Winners of First Chapter of ELF - Seddiqi Writer’s Fellowship. Image courtesy of Emirates Airline Festival of Literature.
What was your favourite book whilst growing up and how does it still impact your life today?
My favourite book was 1001 Nights. I am still a big fan of the fantasy genre. I guess it helped grow my creative thinking side. It also teaches the reader a lot of important moral concepts, which is a good way to learn about life and how to face certain aspects.
What kind of books do you like to read as an adult?
Today I read as assortment of books across various genres. I don’t only read for pleasure as I used to, but I also read to learn. I enjoy historical fiction but also biographies, memoirs and fantasy. I am from the Harry Potter generation, after all. Self-help books are also important to me. I wish I had more time to read, there are so many interesting subjects left to explore.
Ahlam Bolooki at the Announcement of the Winners of First Chapter of ELF - Seddiqi Writer’s Fellowship. Image courtesy of Emirates Airline Festival of Literature
How are the values of Seddiqi Holding aligned with those of the Emirates Literature Festival?
At Seddiqi Holding we seek to pioneer initiatives that contribute to the preservation, development, and celebration of the cultural sector. Working with ELF on this programme not only empowers writers in the UAE but also enriches the cultural scene of the country. Emirates Literature Foundation has so many amazing initiatives in addition to the festival that adds a lot of calibre to the cultural scene of the UAE and we are extremely proud to work with them to achieve their vision. We are committed to growing First Chapter: The ELF Seddiqi Writers’ Fellowship and look forward to seeing the results of this fruitful partnership.
What are your personal goals for the future of this fellowship and how do you see it developing over the next few years?
We will continue to monitor the progress of the mentees very closely alongside our partner. We will collate feedback from them to see if the initial programme outline is beneficial to their craft, while also gathering feedback from the mentors. We are committed to redesigning elements of the programme if required, until it becomes a leading prestigious fellowship in the region.
At the moment the programme is focusing on fiction writers but as it progresses we may increase the number of genres that will be accepted. Our goal is for many of the participants to get published and receive international recognition while showcasing the wealth of talent in our region. However, the most important factor is maintaining the calibre of support and mentorship the participants benefit from.