Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Australian author Inez Baranay shared insights into her writing journey and inspired students to cultivate writing skills through conventional and experimental approaches at MLB College in the city on Wednesday.
It was part of a workshop on ‘Readers and Writers and Literature,’
organised by the department of English Literature to enhance literary understanding and creative engagement among students.
Inez Baranay was born in Italy of Hungarian parents, is an English language writer of Australian citizenship, a refugee background, transnational culture, and cosmopolitan temperament. In the 1980s, she began publishing short fiction in small press anthologies. Her essays and stories have since been published in a range of journals and anthologies. Soul Climate (2025) is her tenth novel.
Neem Dreams (2003) and With the Tiger (2008) were also first published in India. She has taught creative writing in various contexts and been a guest at conferences, seminars, literature festivals, and international writers’ centres.
Roli Agarwal spoke on the skills required for reading and writing creative pieces, emphasizing clarity, and being comfortable with imperfect drafts. She discussed the works of writers like Jane Austen, Virginia Woolf, and Ernest Hemingway.
Dr Neelkamal Kapoor spoke about the process of writing non fiction, short stories and travel pieces. She narrated interesting episodes from her professional life that formed part of her writings.
Besides, students participated in writing exercises, including free writing and picture-based writing, encouraging spontaneity and expression. The technical session included presentations by students and research scholars on contemporary literary approaches such as Synesthesia, stream of consciousness, reader-response theory, and digital age narratives.
The Head of the department of English Seema Raizada presented the concept note, which explained the aim of the workshop which was to develop the interpretive skills and a deeper understanding of readers, writers, and literary texts. Principal Ajay Agarwal chaired the inaugural session.
