Farda Ali Khan performs her poem, ‘I Don’t Know What It Means To Be A Pakistani’. In a close competition, she placed third in a competition that showcased the talents of young poets under 30, from backgrounds as diverse as medicine, computer science and engineering, and the literary arts. The poem examines the shifting sands of culture against a backdrop of fragile patriotism.
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Finalist and winner Orooj-e-Zafar performs her winning poem, ‘When Your Body Smiles’. She tied with Risham Amjad when the panel of judges that included poet and TMS contributor Ilona Yusuf and the magazine’s Editor-in-Chief, was undecided on who to give the final prize to. Her poem speaks to the importance of being true to who you are and the daily struggle of being comfortable in your own skin.
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Finalist and winner Risham Amjad performs her winning poem, ‘Conversations With A Reluctant Feminist’. She tied with Orooj-e-Zafar when our panel of judges was stumped who to give the final prize to. This strong poem attests to the struggles faced by women everywhere today.
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Sahar Rehan reads out her winning entry ‘The Barren Lands’. Set in Pakistan’s Thar Desert, ‘The Barren Lands’ tells a story about a people’s morals as dry and arid as the place they live; about the insufferable cruelties inflicted on women and how the mistakes of men must be borne by women. Coupled with rich detail and nuanced observations of life in the desert, ‘The Barren Lands’ captured our attention from the very first sentence and maintained it through the length of the piece.
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Yusra Amjad reads out her winning entry, ‘Big, Little’. The short story examines a young relationship and a young woman’s perspective on it, turning the tables on the ‘traditional’ perspectives by interjecting a strong female narrator into the proceedings, awakening to her sexuality and her needs, which are often at odds with her partner’s.
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Pakistani author Soniah Kamal (‘The Breast’) reads out an excerpt of ‘An Isolated Incident’ and discusses Kashmir, the politicization of literature and the road to publishing.
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