Cuttack, Sept. 19: A series of workshops on creative writing kicked off at Ravenshaw University today. Being organised by the department of English, the three-month programme will continue till December 20.

Around 25 budding writers from various departments of the university are participating in the workshop. Two sessions will be held on Tuesdays and Saturdays for them at the host department. Faculty members of all departments are also free to take part.

The resource persons for this workshop comprise eminent poets and writers such as Binapani Mohanty, Saroj Mohanty (editor of Jhankar, a children’s magazine), Tarun Kanti Rout, Dipak Samantaray (both programme executives of the All India Radio) and faculty members and head of the English department.

The participants had earlier submitted samples of their writings, which were evaluated and discussed by the resource persons, said coordinator of the workshop and lecturer in English, Urmishree Bedamatta. Noted litterateur and retired English professor Soubhagya Kumar Mishra had inaugurated the workshop last Saturday. Mishra was appointed as the writer-in-residence of the university for 2011 on January 17.

Apart from creative writing, a string of other activities are lined up for Ravenshaw students. The Ravenshaw Youth Red Cross unit is all set to organise a blood donation camp at the varsity’s commerce block on Tuesday morning. Later, a cancer awareness camp will be held from 12.30pm to 1.30pm at the same block.

A 16-member football team from the university will participate in the inter-university football tournament of the Association of Indian Universities (AIU), being organised by Sambalpur University at Rourkela starting tomorrow.