Wednesday, July 30, 2008

On the Other Side of Shame by Joanne Jowell launches

Kalk Bay Books & Pan MacMillan invite you to the launch of

On the Other Side of Shame by Joanne Jowell


When: THURSDAY 7 August 2008
Where: Kalk Bay Books, 124 Main Road, Kalk Bay
Time: 6.30 for 7pm (please note starting time)
RSVP: books@kalkbaybooks.co.za or 021 788 2266 by 6 August.

NB: Please indicate numbers for catering purposes)

Lynette Langman’s telephone rang on a Sunday night in 2001, heralding the call that would unravel her life. For 40 years she had waited to hear news about the son she gave up for adoption when she was virtually a child herself.

Set primarily against the backdrop of Cape Town, from the 1960s to the present day, On the Other Side of Shame hooks into the enduring traditions of the Jewish community and examines the intricacies of the adoption/reunion saga through the eyes of those most deeply affected, highlighting the peculiarities which make this story unique.

Tuesday, July 08, 2008

*New* poetry: For Charity and Francis Matyaka by Rethabile Masilo

Unable to move, she watch them drag him
from the house into a donga
and beat him, one goon opening his body
to pour blood into the off-colour ditch,
like wine seeking the whiteness of cloth
that cover the brains of boys
and redden their eyes with joy.
Everyone try not to look
but go their way into the dim June dusk
to their families.
Even God don’t interfere
when they beat people like this
with sjambok and machete.
They killed him, killed him as I watched, she say,
speaking to no one in particular.
He wailed, but they kept on beating him quietly.
The women shake their heads and speak
in subdued dialect
of herd boy who find a half-clothed body,
half-eaten by hyenas. She wail some more,
as harpooned whale do.
Her hands hold her head
like she want to unscrew it
and give it back to God.
The women tut-tut and shake their heads
to see her wail like this.
Night come, and soon it is
the lighting of lamps, and everyone shout
to call daughter or son to table
for a bit of pap and soup, after
the ritual of water and soap.

© Rethabile Masilo 2008

First published by iBhuku.com

Rethabile Masilo is a native of Lesotho living and working in Paris, France. Mr. Masilo enjoys reading and writing poetry. He runs two blogs, Poéfrika http://poefrika.blogspot.com and Sotho http://sotho.blogsome.com, and is also co-editor of a literary magazine, Canopic Jar http://canopicjar.com. He is married and has two children.

Henrietta Rose-Innes wins 2008 Caine Prize for African Writing

Henrietta Rose-Innes has won the 2008 Caine Prize for African Writing. She started her published writing career in English Alive from 1985 to 1989 when she was a student at Westerford High School, and when Michael King was Editor of English Alive. She was shortlisted for the Caine in both 2007 and 2008. She attended the Caine Prize fortnight-long workshop in Noordhoek in April, and the award announcement and celebratory dinner in the Bodleian Library in Oxford.

SA PEN announces PEN/STUDZINSKI Literary Award

Following the success of the HSBC/SA PEN Literary Awards,
SA PEN announces a call for entries for the new
PEN/STUDZINSKI Literary Award.

Writers from African and SADC countries are invited to submit original,
previously unpublished, English-language
SHORT STORIES

The best entries will be selected by an editorial board for inclusion in
a book to be published next year, under the working title
“NEW WRITING FROM AFRICA”

Three prize winners will be selected by
Nobel Laureate J M Coetzee
Prizes, given by John Studzinski, will be awarded:
£5 000, £3 000 and £2 000

Rules for submission of entries:

Entrants must be citizens of an African or SADC* country.
Stories, on any subject, must be in English; length should be 2 500 to 5 000 words.
Entries must be previously unpublished. More than one entry may be submitted.
Entries must be typed, in double spacing, on one side of A4 paper. Pages must be numbered and securely fastened together. Three copies must be submitted.
No name or address should appear on the typescript, but each page must carry the title of the story. The identity of authors will not be revealed to judges.
A covering letter with the name, e-mail & postal address, contact numbers, and photocopy of the ID of the entrant (as proof of citizenship) must be included. Entrants may currently reside outside of Africa.

Submission of entries implies adherence to all rules and conditions of this award, including that of copyright.

Closing date: 30th September 2008

Send your entry to: PEN/STUDZINSKI Literary Award, P O Box 30327, Tokai, 7966, Republic of South Africa. Fax and e-mail entries will not be accepted.

Detailed rules and conditions for submission are available at www.sapen.co.za,
or e-mail SA PEN at rudebs@icon.co.za

Tuesday, July 01, 2008

Henrietta Rose-Innes and Stanley Kenani attend Caine Prize prize-giving ceremony

The short stories "Poison", "For Honour" and "The day of the surgical colloquium hosted by the Far East Rand Hospital" by Henrietta, Stanley, and Gill Schierhout respectively, were featured in "African Pens", the third of the HSBC/SA PEN Literary Award publications. They are among the five authors who have been nominated for the Caine Prize.