Written by: Mahnoor Fatima
Posted on: October 07, 2020 | 
Poster for the Writer's Block Party
Pakistan is not without its share of enthusiastic and talented writers who are looking for new avenues to showcase their work and discuss literature in Pakistan. Though it is difficult to access traditional or mainstream forms of publication, people are creating new communities with likeminded people, using the power of social media. One such example is The Desi Collective, a new writer’s community aiming to recapture people’s love for storytelling, and galvanizing some of the talent that exists in Pakistan and South Asia as a whole.
Arslan Athar, the founder of TDC, has been writing fiction and pop culture pieces for local publications. In an interview with Youlin, he explained his motivations for creating TDC: “I majored in Political Science and Economics, but I wasn’t focusing on my passion that was fiction writing. There wasn’t a place in Pakistan to submit pieces, and submitting work abroad is very selective and competitive. I felt like there was a stepping stone missing, and I could help that situation.”
Arslan Athar
Athar conceptualized a quarterly publication that would exclusively post fiction content from Pakistan, and later the rest of South Asia. It would operate in both English and Urdu, feature poetry and prose, revolving around various themes, the latest being “Letters to my Childhood”. Three issues in, the publication has a burgeoning community of local writers, composed of both enthusiasts and published authors.
While he did have initial plans to publish and sell physical copies of the publication, the prevalent situation that came about due to COVID-19 and the lockdown, halted Athar’s future plans. Therefore, he decided to go digital temporarily, and TDC’s first event has been “The Writer’s Block Party”, an online festival to be held from 3rd October to 11th October, dedicated to the craft of writing fiction in South Asia.
The Desi Collective, Issue 2
The name “Writer’s Block Party”, came from Athar’s efforts to cure himself and his community of writer’s block, by inspiring them to write by allowing them to listen to people who are experienced in writing in a broad range of genres and working in different fields related to literature like editing or publishing. While Athar does receive help with his publication, the festival largely has been his brainchild. Initially, it was to be a hands-on festival, not only holding talks but also workshops on fiction-writing improvement techniques. He began to contact writers on Twitter like Mariam Saeed Khan and Usman Malik, and things quickly fell in place.
Some of the fascinating talks held so far have been, ‘A Deep Dive into Science Fiction and Fantasy’, which explored the burgeoning interest in South Asian Science and Speculative Fiction, and ‘Literally What No One Told You about Publishing’ that highlighted some of the issues of the literary publishing industry in Pakistan. “There were many names, and I had to stop myself because organizing this festival was a big experiment. I needed to test if this format would work, and if people were interested in it. And if this first one is a success, then there will be more talks with other writers.”
A Deep Dive Into Science Fiction And Fantasy Talk
So far, people have responded well to the festival, and have been actively engaging with the discussions. He has acknowledged that there is still a lot of work to be done, especially when it comes to writers of local languages and minority groups.
Athar believed that the response has to do with the need of the young writer’s community in Pakistan to converse with each other as well as with established writers. “Sometimes, with the traditional literature festival format, we can’t exchange information, or have a dialogue. I spoke to many people who felt the same way, and I wanted this festival to be as open and inclusive as possible.”
The Desi Collective at an event in LUMS
Lockdown has especially been a catalyst for people to find time to write and introspect, whether posting a long caption on Instagram, writing poetry or long prose. But also, Athar is of the opinion that young people in Pakistan need to read literature that is pertinent to their experiences and lived realities, as opposed to simply consuming Western literature.
“If you read something written by someone like you undergoing a similar experience, that feeling of connecting to someone is very powerful. So, if people are exposed to written pieces by other Pakistanis, both in English and Urdu, it would empower them to read and explore more South Asian themes and ideas.”
A Sample from The Desi Collective Issue 1
He believed that while the literary industry has declined in Pakistan in recent years, with publication houses closing down and people losing interest in local literature, hope is not yet lost. Many want to read more local literature, and TDC is only one of the many new writers’ collectives being established to fill this gap. “I think it’s just high time that we should just begin to write more pieces. Once momentum is established, we can create our own market for local literature, and publication companies would have to respond and supply opportunities for people to write and be paid for their work.”
As for TDC, Athar’s mission has always been to create a safe space to write, experiment and think about ways to pen down ideas and feelings. “I want to be a champion for those who have confidence in their writing styles yet. I really hope that I can give them an environment where they gain the strength and confidence to write and grow as much as possible.”
The Upcoming Writer's Block Party Talk
Those interested in reading TDC can contact them on social media for a copy of the publication. To watch the previous online talks and for updates on future talks and submission opportunities, please follow TDC on Facebook and Instagram.
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