“Broken English”: How Writers Bend, Break and Mend Language
with Faisal Mohyuddin
Drawing on Toni Morrison’s powerful assertion that oppressive language is violence and a limit to knowledge, investigate how the English language, or monolingualism itself, has the capacity to violate, restrict, demonise, bamboozle, divide, silence and erase diverse voices and experiences. Join Faisal Mohyuddin in taking a step further to critically examine how writers actively resist this power by bending, breaking and mending the language. Through the works of groundbreaking writers like Diana Khoi Nguyen, Rajiv Mohabir, and Layli Long Soldier and others, unpack how “broken English” can be a force for liberation and recognition, challenging linguistic constraints, embracing multilingualism and translingualism, and cultivating the innovative spirit of our own writing.
Registration closes 15 June 2025, 11.59pm SGT or when full capacity is reached.
Course Information
Course Code: WS-FM
Duration: 2 hrs per session
Recommended For:
Intermediate and Advanced Writers
Dates
5 July, Sat
10.00am to 12.00pm (2 hrs)
9 July, Wed
7.30pm to 9.30pm (2 hrs)
12 July, Sat
10.00am to 12.00pm (2 hrs)
16 July, Wed
7.30pm to 9.30pm (2 hrs)
19 July, Sat
10.00am to 12.00pm (2 hrs)
23 July, Wed
7.30pm to 9.30pm (2 hrs)
26 July, Sat
10.00am to 12.00pm (2 hrs)
30 July, Wed
7.30pm to 9.30pm (2 hrs)
Venue
In-Person
ACC EduHub
51 Cuppage Road
S 229469
Please Note
- Each registration submission is for one participant only.
- Participants are required to attend all eight sessions.
- Registrants will undergo a selection process, and those selected must complete payment to confirm their placement.
- ACWP will maintain a waiting list once the maximum number of participants is reached.
- Shortlisted participants will be contacted for payment and confirmation.
Overview and Learning Outcomes
- Explore the fundamental relationship between language and power.
- Consider how, why, and when the “rules” and “norms” of language can and should be revised and/or rejected—and to consider who is and isn’t allowed to challenge these rules/norms.
- Learn the skill of producing original writing in a range of styles and modes that illustrates an expanding range of possibilities when it comes to how we use language and empower others with our work.
- Closely read and analyse a variety of contemporary texts by a diverse array of writers to gain a more nuanced appreciation of different voices, writing styles, creative possibilities, and struggles.
- Offer specific, informed, and constructive feedback on classmates’ writing (analytic, reflective, and creative) in order to help them hone their writing skills as well as more effectively, responsibly, and empathically communicate to their readers.
Who Should Apply?
Writers, including:
- Intermediate Writers: Writers who have chosen to pursue writing as a full-time or part-time career with serious, professional intent but are not yet published with a mainstream or recognized independent publisher.
- Advanced Writers: Writers who have published at least one book with a mainstream or recognized independent publisher, and/or have been published in at least one literary journal or anthology.
Participants will be selected by the Visiting Writer with assistance from the ACWP. A waiting list will be maintained.
Registration and Pricing
Course Pre-requisites
To sign up, please register at the link above and provide the following documents:
- A 500 word writing sample (in English)
- A short summary of your writing project (approximately 100 words)
- A brief biography (50 to 100 words)
If you have registered with us before, you may resubmit the same information with an updated biography.
Course Fees
- $150 for adults
- $60 for senior citizens aged 55 and above, NSFs, and unemployed individuals
- Free for students from Singapore institutions, including undergraduate and postgraduate students
Fees are non-refundable.
For all other inquiries including financial assistance, please email us.
About Faisal Mohyuddin
Faisal Mohyuddin is the author of two full-length poetry collections, Elsewhere: An Elegy (Next Page Press, 2024) and The Displaced Children of Displaced Children (Eyewear, 2018), and of the poetry chapbook The Riddle of Longing (Backbone Press, 2017). He teaches high school English in suburban Chicago and creative writing at Northwestern University. He is also a visual artist.