The Olive Writers

Other Programs

Writing Contests 

The Olive Writers hosts a series of writing contests open to young Moroccan writers. These contests provide a platform for outstanding writing and seek to share the work of young Moroccans with a wider audience.

To learn more about current and upcoming contest opportunities, check our blog or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Past contests:

Women In Our Lives Essay Contest.

Write From Home Competition.

The Youth Voiced. (Ongoing).


Olive Writers Magazine

The Olive Writers Magazine is a volunteer, not-for-profit literary project published by the Olive Writers and the American Language Center Casablanca.

www.olivewritersmag.com

The magazine features original work by emerging writers and artists in Morocco, as well as profile essays, opportunities, photography, Arts and Culture News, interviews ..etc. Our primary goal is to shine a spotlight on great writing and creative work reflecting the cultures and experiences of life in Morocco.


O-Live


O-live program combines all our digital learning activities. This includes: Lives, discussions, seminars, workshops, watch parties..etc.



Windows On The World 

 Window On Sweden:
Promoting mutual understanding and gender equality through creative writing    



The project will bring emerging Moroccan writers together for a 4-days-long residency to dive into their belief systems, explore their convictions and experiences, and learn to question and promote the presence of Gender Equality in the Moroccan society. Led by established Swedish writers, the program will allow participants to revise and refine a creative writing project aiming to raise awareness and create a common future based on shared values in the fight against gender violence.

Window On Sweden is a program funded by the Swedish Institute, in partnership with the Swedish Writers Union.

Dates: TBD.
Applications will open in May 2021.

Olive Writers Club

Hosted at the Faculty of Letters and Humanities Dhar El Mahraz, our very first Olive Writers Club is coordinated by our Editor and Publication Manager Haytham Chhilif, with Professor Fatima Amrani serving as the club's faculty advisor.

The Olive Writers Club provides its members with the opportunity to indulge their love for literature, writing and fiction. It is a space in which the students can improve on their writing skills, and discuss important matters regarding literature, writing, and society overall. The club constitutes a wonderful addition to the University of Dher El Mehraz in Fes as it is a sanctuary for many away from the purely academic atmosphere of the university.

In addition to creative writing workshops, the club offers other activities such as: debating, movie sessions with discussion, reading sessions, and discussion sessions on a range of different topics.

We are building on the Fes club experience to create two additional clubs in Casablanca and Tangier.


Tower Translation Program


The Tower Translation Program combines an intensive translation seminar with independent work and group workshops in order to publish an e-book anthology of short stories by established Arabophone Moroccan writers in English translation.

Selected participants will attend a virtual translation seminar designed to introduce basic  translation techniques. Following the seminar, participants will complete a translation of a literary text, which will be workshopped in-person by fellow Tower Translation Program participants prior to publication as an e-book.

This project aims to:
  • Introduce Moroccan literature to English-speaking readers.
  • Create a high-quality anthology for use in schools by English-language learners.
  • Enhance participants' knowledge of both English and Arabic.

Applications will open soon.


Special Projects

Occasionally, the Olive Writers works on special projects that don't necessarily incorporate creative writing. These projects are organized to diversify the range of programming we do, and also offer our community an opportunity to go beyond literature and writing to discover other forms of art, learn new skills, and gain more experience.

  •  Global Scholar Program Session 1. (August 2020)
  • Global Scholar Program Session 2. (August 2020)
  • Press Cartooning School. (Ongoing).