Yunus Emre Institute, via its representative office in Azerbaijan, undertakes activities to highlight shared values between the two countries, promotes original literary works, and encourages talented young people in the field of literature.

The “Creative Writing Workshop” organized by the Yunus Emre Institute in Baku aims to nurture young writers from Azerbaijan and the Turkic world.

Selçuk Karakılıç, Coordinator of Yunus Emre Institute in Baku, stated that the ten-week “Creative Writing Workshop,” which garnered significant interest from Azerbaijanis, successfully brought together aspiring writers.

“Reading books is essentially conquering words”

Coordinator Karakılıç expressed, “Reading books is essentially conquering words; we think, speak, and write with words. After achieving this great conquest, we can interpret issues, see things, and write about what others may not perceive. In essence, a writer is someone who can create a work by deeply analyzing and interpreting what everyone sees. Through the Creative Writing Workshop, our goal was to discover new writers and introduce young writers to both Azerbaijan and the Turkic world.”

“Writing has been a journey of discovery”

Aybeniz Memmedova, one of the participants in the workshop, expressed that many people dream of becoming writers but hesitate due to feelings of inadequacy, and that the Creative Writing Workshop has opened new horizons for them.

Memmadova said, “People are often afraid of the unknown. After receiving this training, the mysterious, dark, and foggy path of writing became clear to me. Once I understood why I wanted to write and discovered my writing method, I felt one step closer to achieving my dream. The details added color to my story and brought soul to my characters.”

“My journey into writing has begun”

Psychologist Murad Akifsoy, who writes various articles on a blog but had hesitated to delve into writing stories, said, “I was uncertain about transitioning to the story genre. I was concerned because I lacked knowledge of the technical aspects. As I progressed through the Creative Writing Workshop, I came to realize that writing was my calling. I believe the Creative Writing Workshop was instrumental in the emergence of the story I wrote.”

“I got to discover myself”

Reflecting on her experience learning the nuances of writing through participation in the Creative Writing Workshop, Aytekin Imanova said, “I gained insight into the foundations and artistic aspects of writing. I actually got to discover myself. I started too feel that I could write well. I found answers to the questions of what to write and how to write it. The Creative Writing Workshop, where I sought answers to my questions, helped me discover myself.”

Dr. Ramil Ehmed, Trainer of the Creative Writing Workshop, remarked, “While creative writing workshops are quite common worldwide, this was the first of its kind in Baku.  I am pleased that these trainings, which we initiated independently, are now supported by the Yunus Emre Institute. Thanks to this collaboration, I believe we will achieve significant and lasting results in the near future.”