The Bridge is a creative writing venture based on the idea of connecting writers from around the globe, bringing them to a platform where they can showcase their work and build multi-ethnic ties through their writings. The project offers multiple publishing opportunities, both online and in print for local and international contributors. The website also engages writers in very exciting writing competitions every month devoid of geographical, ethnic, religious, social or racial boundaries. The main highlights of the website are its annual E-Magazine, the upcoming volumes of The Bridge and countless opportunities of On-Site Publications. Recently, the website has launched a very unique feature as “Collaborative Writing Portal” which would turn out to be an exceptional way of assisting writers in completion of their unfinished short stories.
The Bridge is initiated by and is a brain child of Aaisha Umt Ur Rashid who is a poet, short story writer, editor and researcher based in Lahore. She is the CEO of The Bridge. Emerging from a single mind, The Bridge is evolving into a very energetic team and a vibrant energy that is disseminating its current around the world.
One of the main highlights of the project is its focus on empowerment of women as Editors, Writers, Researchers and Scholars. The books that have been published so far under the patronage of this project have been edited by female editors from Pakistan, Malaysia, and the US. The upcoming volume is also co-edited by female editors. The project encourages and promotes female writing across the world. This way, the project is focusing on the empowerment of women writers for whom the opportunities of creative and academic growth are scarce in our part of the world. However, it is important to note that the project is not limited to female writings only and is not gender specific.
Being the first one of its kind, the project launches one volume of The Bridge every year in alliance with writers from one particular country. Each volume contains poems and short stories by emerging and published writers from Pakistan and the selected country. The first volume targeted writers from Malaysia. The second one brought to us poems and stories by writers from the United States. The third volume, expected to come out by the end of 2023, would show extracts from the diaries of writers from Nigeria while the fourth one is expected to reach out to writers from England. The Bridge will soon build up a community so strong that you would be able to meet all the contemporary writers from around the world, on one platform.
This distinctive project is one of its kind in the country and is initiated to encourage the young emerging writers from our part of the world towards an international exposure of writing. By having virtual interactions with people of other ethnicities experiencing altogether different environments, different cultures and different mindsets, a clearer vision and a stronger outlook of life in general is developed and that is what the project largely aims at. The project is expected to reach out to an audience who can, with the power of their pen, bring revolutionary changes to their societies towards betterment.
Submission categories:
- Real life Story
- Horror/Suspense Story
- Pet Story
The Bridge E-Magazine is an opportunity for you to explore multifarious genres of writing and experiment with innovative ideas.
Deadline: 31th March, 2025
The first anthology of its kind.
Experiment with diverse genres of Writing.
Complete your unfinished writings in collaboration with renowed writers on board.
Register to take part in various writing competitions.
Volume-I is Edited by Ms. Aaisha Umt Ur Rashid from Pakistan and Prof. Nor Faridah Abdul Manaf, from Malaysia. The book consists of poems and short stories by emerging and published writers of Malaysia and Pakistan. The contributions deal with diverse themes like ethnicity, landscape and identity. The volume is being used as a reference book in the creative writing courses of both Malaysian and Pakistani universities (At IIUM and LCWU). The book is published by Silverfish Books, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
| Writers from Pakistan | Writers from Malaysia |
|---|---|
| Zakia Nasir | Nur Ain Nabila Binti Abu Hassan |
| Mahrukh Bokhari | Nur Alia Mohd Jamil |
| Aaisha Umt Ur Rashid | Amirul Nazmi bin Azrymi |
| Mahnoor Tahir | Fathin Addina Mohd Azeem |
| Habiba Ikram | Rajaekaran |
| Saima Eman | Devi Suguna Arumugam |
| Ayza Yousaf | Wan Nurnisa |
| Mubashra Malik | Zul Harith |
| Syeda Farwa Batool | Ahmad Soufi bin Ahmad Badri |
| Mehreen Khan | Nor Faridah Abdul Manaf |
| Komal Naeem | Nur Amira Jeffrey |
| Muhammad Afiq bin Che Arif | |
| Amirullah Zul | |
| Dzulfazreena Annessa Dzulkefli | |
| Cover Designed by: Qasim Nawaz & Farhan Arif | |
| Published by: Silverfish Books, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. | |
Volume II is edited by Aaisha Umt Ur Rashid from Pakistan and Shannon Phillips from the United States. The book contains poems and short stories by published and emerging writers from both the countries. The writings revolve around the theme “Roots”. This volume is also being used as a reference book in the creative writing courses at LCWU and also at some Institutes at the United States. Volume II is available on Amazon.
| Writers from Pakistan | Writers from the United States |
|---|---|
| Rizwan Akhtar | Stephanie Barbe Hammer |
| Zakia Nasir | Nur Alia Mohd Jamil |
| Iffat Sayeed | Shannon Phillips |
| Sana Munir | Judy Kronenfeld |
| Aaisha Umt Ur Rashid | Aruni Wijesinghe |
| Taha Kehar | Suzanne Allen |
| Saima Eman | Kareem Tayyar |
| Nausheen Mazhar | Christina Brown |
| Mahnoor Tahir | Mifanwy Kaiser |
| Areej Tahir | Brian Harman |
| Maania Farhan | Lloyd Aquino |
| Zobia Arif | Martin H. Levinson |
| Cover Designed by: Qasim Nawaz | |
| Published by: Picture Show Press, USA | |
The Bridge Volume III is a compelling anthology that seeks to foster a deeper understanding and connection between writers from Pakistan and Nigeria through the shared exploration of the theme of Race. By featuring both established and emerging voices from these diverse regions, the collection offers a rich tapestry of perspectives and experiences related to racial identity and dynamics. The anthology not only highlights the unique cultural contexts of each country but also underscores the universal struggles and narratives surrounding race. Through their captivating contributions, the writers bridge geographical and cultural divides, creating a literary dialogue that resonates with readers around the world.
| Writers from Pakistan | Writers from NIGERIA |
|---|---|
| Rizwan Akhtar | Amina Haruna |
| Zakia Nasir | Hassana Isma’il Tsiga |
| Taha Kehar | Ismail Bala |
| Muhammad Khurram | Adamu Usman Garko |
| Amina Obaid Khawaja | Mubarak Ibrahim Lawan |
| Dirha Qazi | Muhsin Ibrahim |
| Areej Tahir | Aliyu Kamal |
| Hafsa Tariq | Idris Hamza Yana |
| Anum Khalid | Mifanwy Kaiser |
| Maania Farhan | |
| Mubashara Malik | |
| Mahnoor Tahir | |
| Ayesha Irfan | |
| Rabia Akram | |
| Cover Designed by: Qasim Nawaz | |
| Pubished by: FICTION HOUSE LAHORE PAKISTAN | |
Membership BenefitsBy being a member of The Bridge website, you are entitled to get the following benefits:
So don’t wait further and REGISTER here (Register) for a fabulous writing experience!
Well, if you are a writer-in-the-making, this is exactly where you should be. The Bridge will provide you countless opportunities to experiment and excel while exhibiting the pinnacle of your potential on national and international levels for the whole one year.
And if you happen to be a renowned, published writer, The Bridge needs you even more as you are the one we are trying to connect to.
So, while you register, fasten your seat belts as The Bridge is going to take you to a fun-trip of WRITING where you would be able to…
So don’t wait further and REGISTER here (Register) for a fabulous writing experience!
Are you a day-dreamer? Do you fantasize yourself as a writer in the near or far future? Have you had no opportunities to exhibit the miracles of your pen? Or….are you shy to share your work that you have been writing for so long ? Well let us help you in making your dreams come true…but before that…lets day-dream once again… Imagine how intensely altered will your life be if…
Sounds Awesome, isn’t it? And as possible as ever. The Bridge will offer you opportunities and directions, based on your potential as a writer, to make these reveries turn into reality.