Namal Siddiqui

Creative Writing - Poetry & Non-fiction MA

After years in a corporate career, Namal chose to follow her passion for poetry and writing, leading her to study at BCU. Her experience broadened her perspective and introduced her to new creative possibilities. She now works on international literary festivals, curating programmes and supporting global writers.

“I started working full- time at HSBC before beginning my bachelor's degree in Business Administration. It took about five years and by the time I finished it, I told myself I was never going back to university. Who would have known that thirteen years later, because of poetry and an existential crisis that made me question how I wanted to lead the rest of my life, I would have found myself doing this MA programme - and in another country too! It was never on my mind, but life has its ways.

I believe that education, or studies of any kind, can be taken up at any life stage. I am glad I did my masters in my mid-thirties.

I loved my time at BCU; I had great professors, students in my programme were open and accommodating and they came from all parts of the world and all ages! My professor made a diverse range of poetry and literature accessible to me, considering I am South Asian. Besides the classics, there was a lot of contemporary poetry which I appreciated.

Since graduating from BCU, I have happily found my way into the business of festivals. I started working at Emirates Airline Festival of Literature in Dubai, which I did for almost two years. Currently, I am working as the Head of International Programme at Ubud Writers and Readers Festival in Bali, Indonesia.

Before coming to BCU, I had worked in the corporate sector all my life. Studying at BCU opened my eyes[LP1.1] to other possibilities in life. I love reading, writing, and anything that allows us to challenge the limitations the current world offers us with glee: artificial intelligence, doomscrolling, the brain burn. If I can find a way to create a community for artists and beyond through the art of writing and reading, I will continue doing what I do.

The most important thing that I took away from my course was critical thinking, critiquing your own work and others. It made me question my own work and others' too. It discourages complacent reading and writing and encourages us to be curious and create room for improvement. This is the core of the work I do as a writer, poet, and literary curator.

A typical workday for me is reading a lot of books, researching current affairs and authors from around the world and closer to the festival, getting things in order!

The most challenging part about embarking on this career is that it can be a lonely path. Not everyone understands or relates with the decisions you make. When I left a flourishing corporate career, everyone thought I was crazy. I do not make the same kind of money anymore, but I am so content with what I do and who I am. There is only one way to overcome these challenges keep doing what I believe in. Everyone comes around.

Every day I spend reading and writing is an achievement. Every time we bring a writer and an audience together is an achievement.

To anyone considering studying at BCU I would advise to just do it and be open minded! If you want to write, you will find a way to become the writer you have dreamed of becoming.

'I AM BCU' means to be a home of possibilities and to be uninhibitedly me.”