Rifah Tashfia Islam
Event Report / In Transit: The Third Annual Slam Poetry at North South University
19 August 2026
The Department of English and Modern Languages (DEML) at North South University hosted the third annual edition of its Slam Poetry event on August 15 2026. This event was a continuation of a tradition that began in November 2024, which has developed into a platform for students to explore poetry through performance and to engage with the diverse forms of creative expression within the university community. This year’s slam poetry event, themed “In Transit”, marked the largest response the initiative has received since its inception, with 76 submissions received and 12 participants ultimately selected to perform.
19 August 2026
News Report / P. Paramita’s ‘Appetite’ sells out on launch day at New York’s Strand Bookstore
13 August 2026
A Bangladeshi story found an eager audience in the heart of New York as P. Paramita’s debut novel, Appetite, sold out its available copies on the day of its launch at the historic Strand Bookstore in Manhattan on August 6, 2026.
13 August 2026
Poetry / Ode to my girls
2 August 2026
No river remembers
the exact moment
it became a river.
It remembers rain, perhaps.
2 August 2026
News Report / The Booker Prize 2026 longlist blends acclaimed authors with fresh literary voices
30 July 2026
The longlist for the Booker Prize 2026 has been unveiled, highlighting 13 novels that span a wide range of genres, settings, and themes. The selection has been made from 163 submissions— which includes previous Booker winners Marlon James and Douglas Stuart, alongside former shortlisted author Elizabeth Strout, and 10 first-time longlistees. The list, this year, also introduced three debut novelists.
30 July 2026
News Report / Jamir Nazir wins 2026 Commonwealth Short Story Prize following AI review
3 July 2026
Set in rural Trinidad, “The Serpent in the Grove” explores themes of betrayal, survival and the resilience of a woman's will.
3 July 2026
Event Report / Letters across a lifetime: The 20th staging of Love Letters
21 June 2026
On June 19, 2026, the occasion was the 20th staging of “Love Letters”, A. R. Gurney’s Pulitzer Prize-nominated play, translated and adapted into Bangla by writer and translator Professor Abdus Selim. Directed by veteran theatre actor and director Tropa Majumdar and staged by Group Theatre at the Dr. Nilima Ibrahim Auditorium, the production brought together the acting power couple, Ramendu Majumdar and Ferdausi Majumdar. Their performances transformed what could have easily been a simple reading of letters into something deeply intimate and profoundly human.
21 June 2026
FLASH FICTION / Pirouette of a phoenix
24 January 2026
Emily’s right leg trembled as she stood alone on the wooden stage, the darkness that surrounded her felt almost alive.
24 January 2026