Cape Town Book Fair main programme announced

THE CONTROVERSIAL, THE CLEVER AND THE QUIRKY

Controversial biographer Ronald Suresh Roberts, quirky poet Lebo Mashile, best-selling writers John van de Ruit, Wilbur Smith, Anthony Horowitz and Marian Keyes, award-winning authors Kiran Desai and Shaun Johnson, presenter and playwright Fiona Coyne plus politicians, academics and publishers are all showcased on the Main Programme at the 2007 Cape Town Book Fair (CTBF).

A comprehensive and diverse roster of events will take place between 10am and 5pm from June 16-19 in lecture halls and at exhibitor stands in the Cape Town International Convention Centre, with the 2007 CTBF theme "More than Black on White" forming the springboard for many of the scheduled discussions and debates. Four major book collections, on Nelson Mandela, Wine, 25 Best South African Reads and Science Fiction and Fantasy, will also feature associated activities ranging from wine-tasting to dialogue sessions with, amongst others, Professor Njabulo Ndebele and Ahmed Kathrada.

The CTBF also hosts the prestigious Sunday Times literary awards, which are the richest literary prizes in South Africa with R75 000 going to each winner. The finalists in the Alan Paton Non-Fiction Award - John Allen (Rabble-Rouser for Peace), Glynis Clacherty (The Suitcase Stories), Denis Hirson (White Scars), Fred Khumalo (Touch My Blood) and Ivan Vladislavic (Portrait with Keys) - will be interviewed by Sunday Times Books Editor Michele Magwood pre-award ceremony, as will the contenders for the Sunday Times Fiction Prize - Imraan Coovadia (Green-Eyed Thieves), Shaun Johnson (The Native Commissioner), Christopher Hope (My Mother's Lovers), Lewis Nkosi (Mandela's Ego), and Marlene van Niekerk (Agaat).

"We have tried to strike a balance between literary and academic events, and more mainstream activities that will appeal to a wide range of readers," says Vanessa Badroodien, Director of the CTBF. "We received excellent feedback from visitors, trade delegations, booksellers and publishers after last year's event. Using this information, we have created a programme that should offer value to everybody who attends, whether they are wanting to engage in serious discussion about the quality of local literature or be entertained by an author such as Tom Eaton."

The scope of the programme is reflected in the some of the titles of the events: "Where Wilbur Reads Tonight" features popular fiction writer Wilbur Smith; "Islam, Feminism and art of novel writing" has authors Rayda Jacobs and Imraan Coovadia in discussion; "The importance of Memory and Dialogue using the life and values of Nelson Mandela as an example" features Verne Harris and Dr Mothomang Diaho; and "Poetic Licence: Is poetry the new black?" has various poets in discussion including Lebo Mashile and Gabeba Baderoon.

The CTBF has doubled its floor space this year to accommodate the increase in exhibitors and expected visitors. In addition, larger lecture halls and presentation rooms have been booked. Visitors are advised to arrive an hour before each scheduled event. Students with valid student cards and children accompanied by an adult will be admitted for free.

The CTBF is a joint venture between the Frankfurt Book Fair and the Publishing Association of South Africa (PASA), with headline sponsorship from the Sunday Times. Last year more than 26 000 people visited the fair, which hosted 418 exhibitors from 36 countries and attracted 2000 international trade visitors.

* The Cape Town Book Fair will take place in the Cape Town International Convention Centre From June 16 to June 19, 2007. The fair will host exhibitions by publishers from Africa, Europe the United Kingdom and elsewhere. More than 300 events including readings, book launches, panel discussions and seminars will take place during the Fair. Tickets are on sale at computicket.com.

Telephone 021 418 5493 or visit http://www.capetownbookfair.com/

Franschhoek Literary Festival misses the mark

If, as director Christopher Hope says, "basically the aim behind the [Franschhoek Literary Festival is] to encourage young writers and young writing", why is it held in an exclusive and distant place like Franschhoek? Why not Muizenberg or Mowbray, which young writers and book lovers may more easily get to?

Why the exorbitant fees to attend events and dinners? How many "youngsters" were in attendance? Looking closely at Ben William's photographs of the audience members on book.co.za, one sees mostly middle-aged white people. Not surprising, given the questions of exclusivity, or is this merely a reflection of the book-buying public given the general unaffordibility of books in this country?

Curling up with a good eBook

It has long been predicted that traditional books are about to be replaced by little machines on which you can download any novel you fancy. But the technology has never really been up to the job - until now. Here Andrew Marr, who treasures his smelly, beautiful library of real books, spends a month with one of the new gadgets

The Guardian, Friday May 11, 2007

Read the article here:

http://books.guardian.co.uk/ebooks/story/0,,2077277,00.html?gusrc=rss&feed=10

Oshun Books Mother's Day event

Oshun Books is holding a special Mother's Day event at the stunning Deer Park Café in Vredehoek next Friday morning. If you've been wondering what to get that special mom for Mother's day, this brunch with two of our smartest, funniest authors will be a real treat.

Tertia Albertyn is the author of 'So Close: Infertile and addicted to hope' and mom to Adam and Kate. Sarah Bullen is the author of 'Hey Baby! The hip new mom's guide that's all about you' and mom to Ruby and Rodrik.

Tickets are R100 for the talk and brunch. RSVP to Sukeena at sukeenap@oshunbooks.co.za.

Short lists announced for Sunday Times Literary Awards

The short lists for the Sunday Times Fiction Prize and the Alan Paton Award for non-fiction were announced in Johannesburg last night. With prizes of R75 000 each for the winners, these prestigious awards are the richest on the continent. Convener Michele Magwood pointed out that because the Sunday Times has upped the number of entries that publishers can submit, judges received a record number of books to consider.

The short-listed works are:

Fiction Prize:
1. Agaat by Marlene van Niekerk, translated by Michiel Heyns, Tafelberg /Jonathan Ball
2. My Mother's Lovers by Christopher Hope, Atlantic Books
3. Mandela's Ego by Lewis Nkosi, Umuzi
4. The Native Commissioner by Shaun Johnson, Penguin Books
5. Green-Eyed Thieves by Imraan Coovadia, Umuzi

Honorary Award: Memorandum: a story with paintings by Marlene van Niekerk and Adriaan van Zyl, translated by Michiel Heyns and published by Human & Rousseau.

Alan Paton Award:
1. Rabble-Rouser For Peace - The Authorised Biography of Desmond Tutu by John Allen, Rider Books
2. Portrait With Keys - Jo'burg & What-What by Ivan Vladislavi*, Umuzi
3. The Suitcase Stories - Refugee Children Reclaim Their Identities by Glynis Clacherty, Double Storey
4. White Scars - On reading and rites of passage by Denis Hirson, Jacana Media
5. Touch My Blood - The Early Years by Fred Khumalo, Umuzi

Honorary Award: Scorched - South Africa's Changing Climate by Leonie S Joubert, Wits University Press

Said Michele Magwood: "It was not only the longest but the strongest list of entries ever for the Fiction Prize, but the judges distilled them into a short list relatively quickly. There was little or no dissent at all. Unlike last year, there are no surprises in terms of unknowns - all are established, experienced writers, and this shows in the deeply assured quality of the works."

The debate for the Alan Paton award, she says, "was longer and particularly fierce this year. Most of the discussion centred on the criterion 'the illumination of truthfulness', and how this is defined." The judges were impressed, she says, with the new forms that non-fiction is taking, as demonstrated in such books as White Scars and Portrait with Keys.

The Paton jury opted for an Honorary Award for Scorched for entering the new territory of science journalism and its skill in popularising an often-inaccessible field.

The Honorary Award in the fiction competition was given to Memorandum for its challenging of the conventions of the traditional novel, thematically and in form. The Chair of the panel, Professor Andries Oliphant, noted, "Constant experimentation is vital for the renewal of the novel."

The judging panels will meet again in May to decide on the winners. They will be announced on June 16 at a gala dinner at the Cape Town Book Fair.

Digital archive for SA books launched

Digital books are not new to the global market, but South Africa has yet to catch up. This is soon to change as 24.com, a division of Naspers, has launched a project that will see the creation of a digital book library. Through this initiative, the bulk of SA published books will be available in digital format in a few years’ time.

Channel manager Johann van Tonder believes that books as we know them today will not disappear in our life time.

“To the contrary,” he says, “technology has created wonderful opportunities for making books more accessible, even reviving certain titles. Our books need to be conserved for future generations, who will demand them in multiple formats. The digital format is clearly the answer.”

Full-text searchability will enable the public to search for any words which appear anywhere in the text of any book. According to Van Tonder, a longer term objective is to facilitate delivery of books in a number of new ways. “But for now, our focus is getting hold of all books ever published in South Africa and ensuring that our library is as extensive as possible,” he says.

Public can assist

With only 41% of all ISBN registered books published by conventional publishers, the rest of the books need to be sourced in different ways. Van Tonder is of the opinion that the public can greatly assist with tracking these books, especially books that are out of print and very old.

“We want to appeal to all South Africans to notify us if they are in possession of books that are not readily available anymore. Contributions will boost the creation of a lasting archive for generations to come and ensure maximum exposure of the South African literary legacy to a growing internet audience.” Books should preferably be duplicate copies as they would in most cases not be returned.

“Rights holders of books should also contact us to explore opportunities,” says Van Tonder. He emphasises that publishers and authors retain full rights to all books that are digitised.

Publishers, authors and book owners who believe that they can make a contribution to a digital library for South Africa can contact Shaakirah on +27 (0)21 481 8300 or email dili@media24.com.

101 books to read before you die

In a celebration of reading and the upcoming Cape Town Book Fair, national book retailer Exclusive Books is calling on all listologists and book lovers to consider their favourite reads and to assist them in compiling a definitive list of 101 books to read before you die. To find out more go to www.exclusivebooks.com

Come to the Franschhoek Literary Festival

Some wonderful writers coming:

Helen Brain (children's book author)
Andrew Brown (novelist from Cape Town)
Justin Cartwright (South African novelist based in the UK)
Finuala Dowling (poet from Cape Town)
Gus Ferguson (you all know)
Mike van Graan (playwright)
Jenny Hobbs (novelist based here in Franschhoek)
Christopher Hope (South African novelists based in France)
Siri Hustvedt (bestselling novelist from the US)
Fred Khumalo (journalist and author from Jozi)
Rustum Kozain (poet based in Cape Town)
Rian Malan (journalist and novelist from Jozi)
Lebo Mashile (poet and TV personality from Jozi, winner of the 2006 Noma Award)
Niq Mhlongo (novelist from Jozi)
Mike Nicol (novelist based in cape Town)
Marlene van Niekerk (novelist based in Stellenbosch)
Nick Norman (geologist based in Franschhoek, author of Geological Journeys)
Margie Orford (crime fiction novelist based in cape Town)
Max du Preez (journalist and author)
Jancis Robinson (wine writer from the UK)
John van de Ruit (bestselling author of Spud)
Ivan Vladislavic (novelist from Jozi)
Mary Watson (winner of the 2006 Caine Prize)
Chris van Wyk (novelist from Jozi)
Zapiro (you all know)

You can see the full line up at www.flf.co.za. It would be great to see any of you over the festival (11-12-13 May) and if you know of anyone else who would be interested in coming along then please let them know about it.

Caine Prize shortlist 2007 announced

Nigeria features prominently in the eighth Caine Prize for African Writing, producing three of the five shortlisted writers for this year’s competition. But with entries received from North, South, East and West Africa, the Caine Prize has once again proven its pan-African outreach. The winner of the £10,000 prize is to be announced at a celebratory dinner at the Bodleian Library, Oxford, on Monday, 9 July.

The 2007 shortlist comprises:

Uwem Akpan (Nigeria), ‘My Parents Bedroom’ The New Yorker June 12, 2006

Monica Arac de Nyeko (Uganda), ‘Jambula Tree’ from ‘African Love Stories’ Ayebia Clarke Publishing 2006

E.C Osondu (Nigeria) ‘Jimmy Carter’s Eyes’, AGNI Fiction Online 2006

Henrietta Rose-Innes (South Africa) ‘Bad Places’, New Contrast vol 31 no4 Spring 2003

Ada Udechukwu (Nigeria) ‘Night Bus’, The Atlantic Monthly, August 2006

In addition the judges highly commended Kenyan Billy Kahora’s ‘Treadmill Love’ from ‘The Obituary Tango’ Jacana/New Internationalist 2006.

“The range of this year's shortlist confirms that writers are testing the limits of what subjects they can address. From modern folk tales to social alienation, violent crime and sexual orientation. It is a welcome development”, commented Jamal Majhoub, the Chair for the 2007 judging panel. Jamal, who was born in London and bought up in Khartoum, has published seven novels, which have been translated into many languages. His numerous awards include the Mario Vargos Llosa Premio NH de Relatos in 2006 and he has previously been shortlisted for the Caine Prize in 2004 with The Obituary Tango, from Wasafiri.

The judging panel this year also includes Kenyan academic, critic and writer Dr Wangui wa Goro, award winning novelist Delia Jarett-Macauley, South African poet and novelist Jonty Driver and former Zed Books Managing Editor, Robert Molteno.

As announced earlier this year, the winner of the £10,000 Caine Prize, known as the ‘African Booker’, will take up a month’s residence at Georgetown University, Washington DC, as a ‘Caine Prize/Georgetown University Writer-in-Residence’. The award will cover all travel and living expenses.

Last year’s winner was South African Mary Watson, for Jungfrau, from ‘Moss’, Kwela Books, 2004. Dr Nana Wilson-Tagoe commented that Jungfrau was “a powerfully written narrative that works skilfully through a child’s imagination to suggest a world of insights about familial and social relationships in the new South Africa”. Mary is now working on her first novel in Cape Town.

Other previous winners include 2005’s winner S.A.Afolabi from Nigeria for Monday Morning from Wasafiri (2004), later published in his first collection of short stories, A Life Elsewhere, his first novel Goodbye Lucille is due to be published this summer. Helon Habila, Caine Prize 2001 winner, described as a ‘major novelist in the making’, has just published his second novel, Measuring Time. Binyavanga Wainaina, who won the Caine Prize in 2002 is the founding editor of the literary magazine, Kwani? and is currently working on a memoir which is to be published by Granta Books.

This year the short listed writers will be reading from their work at the Royal Over-Seas League on Friday, 6 July at 7pm and at the South Bank Centre literary festival on Sunday, 8 July at 8:15 pm. There will also be a seminar at the Institute for English Studies, Senate House, University of London, on Wednesday, 11 July at 1.30pm.

Man Booker winner Kiran Desai coming to South Africa

The Inheritance of Loss was the winner of the Man Booker Prize for Fiction 2006. It is a brilliant, bittersweet family saga and a powerful reflection of modern times that will broaden your mind and break your heart. Kiran Desai will be in South Africa from the 15 - 23 June. To request an interview with Kiran, contact Kate Robinson at kate.robinson@za.penguingroup.com or on 011 327 3550.

The Inheritance of Loss (PB)
Kiran Desai R110
ISBN: 9780141027289

SAFM interviewing Henrietta Rose-Innes, winner of 2007 HSBC/SA PEN Literary Award

SAFM will be interviewing Henrietta Rose-Innes, the winner of the 2007 HSBC/SA PEN Literary Award at about 3.15 p.m this coming Sunday, 6th May. The SA PEN website is now up and running. It is currently a work in progress so we would welcome any comments. Go to www.sapen.co.za to see photos of the launch of African Pens.

*New* poetry: Black History by Tanisha Alexander

The poet Phenomenally was born Tanisha Alexander in Wichita, KS 1981 and now resides in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Tanisha’s journey through poetry started on her MySpace page entitled Phenomenally where readers inspired her to release her poetic writing to a bigger audience.

Black History - Tanisha Alexander

HSBC/SA PEN Literary Awards announced

The South African Centre of International PEN (SA PEN), in partnership with HSBC Bank plc and New Africa Books, is delighted to announce the winners of the 2007 HSBC / SA PEN Literary Award.

Nobel Laureate J M Coetzee selected the short story Poison by Henrietta Rose-Innes as the winner of the first prize. Coetzee described it as “a story about an imagined ecological disaster to Cape Town refracted through the eyes of a young woman caught up in the exodus from the city.” He added in his Judge’s report: “The behaviour of South Africans under conditions of stress is seen with sympathy and reported in a commendably indirect, understated way; the final effect of the story is surprisingly buoyant.”

Rose-Innes, a Cape Town writer, is currently a Fellow at the Akademie Schloss Solitude artists’ residency in Stuttgart, Germany. A student of archaeology and biological anthropology, she has an MA in Creative Writing from the University of Cape Town (UCT) and has had two novels published: Shark’s Egg in 2000 and The Rock Alphabet in 2004. In 1996, Rose-Innes won the Cosmopolitan/Vita Short Story competition and in 2001 Shark’s Egg was shortlisted for the M-Net Book Prize.

Petina Gappah, a Zimbabwean writer living in Geneva, Switzerland, received the second prize for her short story At the Sound of the Last Post. Coetzee described the story as “a darkly amusing satirical story about Mugabe’s Zimbabwe tackled with great authority.” Gappah also received a highest mention from JM Coetzee for Rotten Row, another short story she submitted. These were the second and third stories she had ever written.

Gappah works as a lawyer for an organisation that helps developing countries apply and administer WTO trade agreements. Since she entered the HSBC/SA PEN Award, she has published two other stories and is finalising what she hopes will be her first published novel.

Stanley Kenani was awarded the third prize for For Honour, “a deceptively simple story that finds a new and creative way of approaching the tragic subject matter of AIDS.”

Kenani is a Malawian writer and performance poet, who won his first literary award, a national UNESCO essay competition, at 18. The prize was a scholarship to complete high school. While studying for an accountancy degree at the University of Malawi, Kenani won additional prizes for short stories and essays and published one of his short stories in the BBC Focus on Africa magazine. He is president of the Malawi Writers’ Union and acting treasurer of the Pan African Writers’ Association.

J M Coetzee also gave highest mentions to The Day of the Surgical Colloquium by Gill Schierhout and Safe Home by Nadia Davids and singled out five additional short stories that he said would merit inclusion in any anthology drawn from the entries submitted. These are: Tears by Sean Mitchell, Buffalo Panting at the Moon by Alexandra Smith, Archives of the Hangman by Claire Gaul, The Picture of James Plaatje by Fiona Moolla and Animal Farm by Mehluli Nxumalo.

In his Judge’s report, Coetzee commended the standard of the 2007 entries, saying it was “notably higher than in 2006 and 2005.”Entrants confront the unhappier aspects of present-day society with a commendable degree of moral and creative courage. The best of these young writers are on a par with their coevals in the West, and have in addition the priceless advantage that the material they work with is of burning social, political, and human importance.”

Coetzee also praised the organisers of the award and their enlightened patron, HSBC Bank plc, for fostering a literary culture in the region. “The fact that southern Africa can mount a literary competition of its own to be mentioned in the same breath as an Africa-wide competition like the Caine Prize, and can call forth year after year bodies of high-quality entries, should encourage educators and the wider community of culturally aware citizens that the literary culture of the region is, if not flourishing, at least putting forth buds. For the part it has played in fostering this culture, PEN is to be commended - not only PEN South Africa but PEN in its wider embodiment across the continent.”

The HSBC / SA PEN Literary Award was established in 2005 to encourage new creative writers in the SADC region and offer them an opportunity to launch a literary career. The award targets writers under the age of 40 in the short story genre.

The 2007 award received 303 entries from South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Namibia, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

The three winning stories and 28 others that were shortlisted have been published by New Africa Books in the final of a series of three volumes of new creative writing, entitled African Pens - New Writing from southern Africa 2007.

In a sponsorship arrangement which makes this one of the most financially rewarding literary competitions in southern Africa, HSBC Bank plc has provided cash prizes totaling US$10 000 annually for the three years. The winner of the award receives $5000 and those placed second and third receive $3000 and $2000 respectively.

The process to select the winners is undertaken by an editorial board comprising prominent writers and publishers and it is entirely anonymous - scripts are identified only by number and no reader or judge is aware of the authors’ identities at any stage. After each script is read by three different readers, the editorial board presents its short list to JM Coetzee who chooses the three winning contributions.

International PEN, the literary organisation with which SA PEN is affiliated, was founded in 1921 to advance the cause of literature and defend free expression. International PEN has 141 centres throughout the world and has undertaken to publicise the New Writing from southern Africa series in its global journal, PEN INTERNATIONAL.

The full text of JM Coetzee’s comments is published in African Road.

SADC countries: Angola, Botswana, Democratic Republic of Congo, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

2007 HSBC PEN shortlist

The South African Centre of International PEN (SA PEN), in partnership with HSBC Bank plc and New Africa Books, is pleased to announce the shortlist for the 2007 HSBC/SA PEN Literary Award.

Kyne Nislev Bernstorff – Going Nowhere
Elizabeth Bishop - Supermarket
Renée Bonorchis – The Summer House
Clare Butcher – Aerial Shots
Malcolm Cumming – The Bam’Žbo By the Dam
Carol-Anne Davids – Nostalgia
Nadia Davids – Safe Home
Petina Gappah – Rotten Row and At the Sound of the Last Post
Claire Gaul – Archives of the Hangman
Karen Jennings – Sarah Begins
Stanley Kenani – For Honour
Deborah Klein – Men and Mermaids
Morne Malan – Jason’Žs Kiss
Steven Marston – The Rebound
Matthew Mbanga – We were meant to live for so much more
Linda McCullogh – How to become a god in three easy steps:
Sean Mitchell – Tears
Christopher Mlalazi – Broken Wings
Fiona Fatima Moolla – The Picture of James Plaatje
Mehluli Nxumalo – Animal Farm
Lee Olivier – Do you have a heart?
Vreniker Pather – Ninema and The Old Man and the Oyster
Henrietta Rose-Innes – Poison
Michelle Sacks – Chronicles of a naked heart
Gill Schierhout – The Day of the Surgical Colloquium Hosted by the Far East Rand Hospital
Alexandra Smith – Buffalo Panting at the Moon
Karlien van der Schyff – Trojan Horse
Richard Walne – The Paint Collector
Carolyn Weir - Collage

These short stories will all be published by New Africa Books in the third volume of new creative writing, entitled African Pens - New Writing from southern Africa 2007. The winners, selected by Nobel Laureate J M Coetzee, will be announced in Cape Town on 24 April 2007 when African Pens – New Writing from southern Africa 2007 is released.

The HSBC/SA PEN award was established in 2005 to encourage young creative writers in the SADC region and offer them an opportunity to launch a literary career. The award targets writers under the age of 40 in the short story genre.

The 2007 award attracted 303 entries from South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Namibia, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

In a sponsorship arrangement which makes this one of the most financially rewarding literary competitions in southern Africa, HSBC Bank plc, will provide cash prizes totalling US$10 000. The winner of the award will receive $5 000 and those placed second and third will receive $3 000 and $2 000 respectively.

The process to select the winners is undertaken by an editorial board comprising prominent writers and publishers and it is entirely anonymous –Ž no reader or judge is aware of the authors’ names at any stage. After each script is read by three different readers, the editorial board presents its selection to the final judge, J M Coetzee, who chooses the three winning contributions.

SA PEN president, Anthony Fleischer, says: “We aim to promote the series widely in southern Africa in an attempt to encourage young writers to express the vitality and diversity of our new society. We are looking for creative material of universal literary appeal which will make compelling reading.”

International PEN, the literary organisation to which SA PEN is affiliated, has 141 centres throughout the world and has undertaken to publicise the new series in its global journal PEN INTERNATIONAL.

World Book Day 2007 - what's happening around the country

HOOKED ON BOOKS

A PROJECT FOR WORLD BOOK DAY 2007 AND BEYOND

For the second year in a row, the University of Pretoria, and the Tshwane Community Library and Information Services are celebrating World Book Day on the UP Campus.

This year, the celebrations will centre around an innovative community project: HOOKED ON BOOKS. This is a project to be launched in aid of the distribution and donation of books to specifically address access to books in South Africa. It will be a cooperative initiative of the Publishing Studies Programme (Department of Information Science), the Department of Visual Arts, and the Tshwane Library and Information Services.

Although books form a crucial part of our daily lives as educators and publishers, it is easy to forget that the majority of South Africans have neither books nor access to facilities that allow them to experience the wonderful world of books.

BOEKEHUIS invitation

Bookshop for South African and World Literature BOEKEHUIS & Ster Kinekor invite you to a discussion with the filmmaker Helena Nogueira.

She will speak with Paul Boekkooi, film and theatre critic about the making of the movie, Ingrid Jonker - Her Lives and Time..

This movie is to be released on 26th April at both Rosebank and V & A Cinema Nouveau
Discussion at: BOEKEHUIS,
Cnr. Lothbury and Fawley streets, Auckland Park
When: Saturday 21 April 2007, at 12:30
RSVP: by Thurs 19/04 on
011 482 3609 or boekehuis@vanschaik.com

Special offer: Boekehuis & Ster Kinekor offer 5 double movie tickets to 5 lucky winners who attend this session of Saturday Voices on 21 April..

About the movie:

INGRID JONKER: HER LIVES & TIME is written, edited and directed by Helena Nogueira and

Produced by Shan Moodley

It features amongst others interviews with André Brink, Jan Rabie, Marjorie Wallace, Sir Laurence van der Post, James Mathews, Peter Clarke, Michael Cope and Simone Venter (daughter of Ingrid Jonker).

About Ingrid Jonker:

Ingrid Jonker (born 19 September 1933 ) was a South African poet. Although she wrote in Afrikaans, her poems have been widely translated into other languages. Ingrid Jonker has reached iconic status in South Africa and is often called the South African Sylvia Plath, owing to the intensity of her work and the tragic course of her turbulent life. Her work has also been compared to that of Anne Sexton.

South Africa lost a gifted and sensitive poet when, at the age of 31, Ingrid Jonker ended her own life on 19 July 1965.

The advanced ideas inherent in Ingrid Jonker's poems have made her a recognized literary figure internationally, with her poems being studied, translated and published in many languages including English, German, French, Dutch, Polish, Hindi and Zulu. The collected works of Jonker, including several short stories and a play, were published in 1975 and re-issued in 1983 and 1994.

Former President Nelson Mandela, in commenting on Jonker's poem Die Kind (The Child), which he read out in full in his inaugural State of the Nation address to Parliament in May 1994, said, "... in this glorious vision, she
instructs that our endeavours must be about the liberation of the woman, the emancipation of the man and the liberty of the child". Of Jonker herself, Mandela said that: "She was both a poet and a South African. She was both an Afrikaner and an African. She was both an artist and a human being. In the midst of despair, she celebrated hope. Confronted by death, she asserted the beauty of life."

Ingrid Jonker's sensitive, humane and forward-looking perspectives have made her a literary icon of a whole new generation of Afrikaners and South Africans, who have re-discovered her relevance in a free and democratic South Africa.

KZN Literary Tourism invitation to launch of Grey Street literary trail

KZN Literary Tourism is pleased to invite you to the launch of the Grey Street literary trail. Join us on the 9th May from 6-8pm at the Supernova theatre at Suncoast Casino for a cocktail evening as we celebrate the Grey Street writers and their work. Writers in attendance will be Imraan Coovadia, Phyllis Naidoo, Ravi Govender and Aziz Hassim. The Surialanga Dance Company will close the evening off with their unique fusion between traditional African and classical Indian dance.

Please RSVP by the 31st April to events@literarytourism.co.za in order to book your tickets.

Centre for the Book invitation to lunch-time book event

In celebration of World Book Day 2007, the Centre for the Book invites you to a lunch-time book event!

MAXINE CASE IN CONVERSATION

Maxine Case was born in Cape Town into a family of readers and writers. She studied advertising and completed an IMM diploma. She now works at NB Publishers as the marketing and promotions co-ordinator. “All We Have Left Unsaid,” her debut novel, was published by Kwela Books in 2006 and has recently been awarded the 2007 Commonwealth Writer's Prize for Best First Book in Africa.

Monday 23 April 2007
13h00 Centre for the Book
62 Queen Victoria Street Cape Town

RSVP: Mark Espin @ 021 423 2669 or mark.espin@nlsa.ac.za Mark Espin

Projects Co-ordinator Centre for the Book
62 Queen Victoria Street Cape Town 8001 PO Box 15254 Vlaeberg 8018
021 423 2669 tel
021 424 1484 fax www.centreforthebook.org.za The Centre for the Book is a specialist unit of the National Library

Invitation to HSBC/SA PEN Literary Award

*New* short fiction: The Café by Byron Loker

Byron Loker doesn't "do" lunch. His debut collection of short stories, New Swell, is published by Double Storey Books.

The Café by Byron Loker

Also published in the latest issue of New Contrast.

Join Kalk Bay Books and Umuzi for a glass of wine with author Nicholas Ashby

Join Kalk Bay Books and Umuzi for a glass of wine while author Nicholas Ashby reads to us from his novel, Time Pips.

Time Pips tells the story of Matthews, a boy born to a South African laundry maid and a German actor and radio broadcaster in the first half of the 20th century. Matthews’ life is full of adventures that lead him to places such as North Africa and Diego Suarez, an Indian Ocean island town, where he finds his true love, Heiata. Time Pips is a whimsical tale of romance, religion and destiny.

Date: Friday, April 20 Time: 6:00 for 6:30pm RSVP: by Thursday 19 April Tel: 021-788-2266 or e-mail: books@kalkbaybooks.co.za

Canopic Jar #18 is now on-line and ready for viewing.

1. The Big News for the coming summer is the Canopic Publishing release of Leatherneck Sea Stories: Recollections of Marines, Korea, and the Corps of the 1950s by Dave Easton. There will be more about this title forthcoming in the next Canopic Spam offering, as well as at www.canopicpublishing.com.

2. Canopic Jar #18 is now on-line and ready for viewing. The Jar's ever-widening audience is once again treated to poetry & prose from a fine array of talented authors from around the globe. Web designer and co-editor Rethabile Masilo continues to sharpen the site with each issue, and his linguistic skills and multi-cultural sense of poetics expands the boundaries of the Jar with each posting. Check it out at www.canopicjar.com.

The Jar is and has always been dedicated to being an open forum for artists at any stage of their career. If you poke through the archives you'll find material from award-winning authors (at least a couple can even claim to have penned a 'bestseller' or two) in addition to first-timers wanting to try out their wares. Most contributors are somewhere in the vast between with the rest of us, and it all points to the old artistic ideal of doing it for the sake of doing it. So pass the word and send in those poems, stories, essays, fragments, bits, and pieces of any genre or subject. We'll gladly give it a read.

3. And don't forget to visit the Canopic Bookstore and buy a book! Free shipping within the US , and anybody who receives this email is entitled to a 2-for-1 sale if you use the CCNow button to make a secure, on-line purchase—or just send an old-fashioned check if you prefer. (Just like in the real world, the lower priced item of the two will be the free one.) Just let me know the 2nd title and it's yours.

Call for children's stories and poems in African languages

Stories Across Africa (StAAf) a core project of the African Academy of Languages, the official language agency of the AU, is pan African project intending to:

* develop and support the use of African languages in print;
* support mother tongue based bilingual education in Africa;
* stimulate and support the African publishing industry and African literary and visual artists to create and foster the use of children’s literature;
* begin to create a common store of written children’s literature for African children;
* support possibilities for reading for enjoyment as part of literacy learning and development.

In collaboration with a local publisher from each of Southern, West, Central, East and North Africa, StAAf is publishing three anthologies of writing for children:
* Early Childhood (0-8),
* Middle Childhood (9-12) and
* Teenagers (13+)

We invite you to submit stories and poems in any African language (with a summary or translation in English, French or Portuguese) or any of the AU official languages. Please follow the following guide (suggested maximum words per submission) with respect to length:

ECD: 800 words
Middle: 1200 words
Teen: 2000 words

The selection process will be made by the StAAf steering committee and their decision will be final. Authors of submissions which are selected for inclusion in one of the anthologies will be paid a permission fee for the use of their writing. Authors of manuscripts selected for publication will be informed before the end of October 2007.

Selected stories and poems will:

* arise from and give an African point of view;
* have definite literary merit;
* reflect diversity in terms of gender, ethnicity etc;
* challenge discrimination;
* include humour and avoid being didactic and preachy;
* include not only ‘problem literature’ but fantasy and experimental, non-linear texts too.

Selection issues to be considered include:

* Style: How is the story or poem written? Are the ideas easily understandable? Is it readable for the target age group?
* Translation: Will it be possible to adapt this poem or story into a variety of languages used on the African continent?
* Theme: Is the theme relevant for the age group? Will it have continent-wide appeal? Is the theme interesting? Does it portray positive roles for the readers? Is it gender sensitive?
* Attractiveness: Is the story or poem appealing to the target audience? If there is humour? Is its appeal continent-wide? Does the language attract the reader?
* Clarity: Is the rhythm, diction and syntax clear and appealing? Does the language contribute to transmitting the message and attracting/ entertaining the audience? Is the use of language original and lively?

Submission Details

Submission deadline: 30 July 2007
Please submit stories and poems by post or email.

If the story has already been published, please submit a copy of the title and imprint pages.

Please make and keep a copy of any story you submit for yourself. StAAf will not return stories to the sender.

No story will be accepted unless it is accompanied by a completed submission form.

Please submit entries to:

Carole Bloch
StAAf Central Co-ordinator
Room 14, Arts Block,
PRAESA, UCT
Private Bag Rondebosch 7700
Cape Town
South Africa
Email: carole.bloch@uct.ac.za
Tel: 0027 21 6503589
Fax: 0027 21 6503027

A message from Christopher Hope, director of the Franschhoek Literary Festival

The Franschhoek Literary Festival is something very special for me. I have spent, over the years, many days at literary and writers’ festivals in Britain, Europe, the US and Canada. And it began to seem to me that there was room for something similar in South Africa, a get-together quite different from other arts festivals that take place in this country. The aim of the FLF is to put writers in the front rank, to give them the space, and the means, to come to Franschhoek, to stay in the town, to be paid a small fee and, above all, to be appreciated. I wanted to make a place where writers, who often have to struggle hard to be published, to be read, to be heard, can meet and mix with colleagues from across South Africa and from around the world.

In short, the Festival I wanted to see would be the intimate, interesting, friendly meeting place for those who enjoy the shapes of words and the magic they make – readers, publishers, journalists; for all who wrote, read and loved books. I had in mind a lively and literate street party, in a convivial town, where everyone can fi nd a seat, a meal, a glass of wine and a good book or three. That is what Franschhoek does best and that is what this Literary Festival is about.

Our ultimate aim is to use whatever we may raise in the Festival towards establishing a new community library in Franschhoek. But what I wish most is for the Franschhoek Literary Festival to back up our writers, most particularly young writers, by making them the heart of the matter. Writers give us pictures of ourselves, which we may love or hate – but without our poets, novelists and dramatists how will we know who we are?

Welcome to the very fi rst Franschhoek Literary Festival.

Christopher Hope

Director

Download the programme here

Call for volunteers for Centre for the Book stand at the Cape Town Book Fair

The Centre for the Book needs book-lovers, reading activists and passionate writers to volunteer to work at the Centre for the Book stand at the CT International Book Fair from 16th June to 19th June.

If you are interested in volunteering please contact Colleen Higgs at colleen.higgs@nlsa.ac.za

You would need to come to a training session, you would get a meal ticket and free entrance to the Book Fair for the day that you work there as well as a chance to participate in one of the most exciting bookish events of the year.

Academic and Non-Fiction Authors' Association of South Africa announces grants scheme

ANFASA, the Academic and Non-Fiction Authors' Association of South Africa, announces the start of a ground-breaking Grants Scheme to benefit South African authors of academic, educational and general non-fiction works.

The Grants Scheme owes its existence to the generosity of the Norwegian Non-Fiction Writers and Translators Association, Kopinor and the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

In the first year of the three-year scheme, ANFASA will be able to make up to ten awards of approximately R25 000 each. This sum of money would enable an author to take leave, for instance, and devote herself or himself to the writing or the preparation of a manuscript, or to travel, or to undertake research.

The ultimate objective of the scheme is to develop writing and knowledge production in South Africa and to encourage the writing and publishing of high-quality non-fiction works, especially by young authors.

An independent Grants Committee will be set up to determine criteria and select the successful candidates. At this point, however, the only criterion that has been set is that applicants for awards should be members of ANFASA.

ANFASA's mission is to promote the recognition and fair remuneration of authors, and respect for their rights, and to facilitate the creation, publication and dissemination of quality works by both published and aspiring authors.

Applications for grants will open in mid-year, and an announcement will be made at the Cape Town Book Fair, 16-19 June 2007, and in the media.

ANFASA Dedicated to empowering authors

ANFASA membership application forms may be obtained by sending an e-mail to info@anfasa.org.za. The membership fee is R50 per annum.

Monica Seeber, Director: ANFASA
monica@anfasa.org.za

*New* poetry: the night at gloria’s by Abbey Khambule

Abbey Khambule is a Johannesburg resident, born in 1981 in Warmbath North West, raised and schooled in Cyverskuil, Atteridgeville, Pretoria and later Alexandra Township. He grew up aspiring to be a well known painter but in recent years has lost himself to poetry. He is studying towards a BA in Creative Writing and makes a living working for a law firm in Sandton.

the night at gloria’s by Abbey Khambule

Call for submissions: South Africa/South U.S.A.: An Anthology of Poetry, Prose, Essays, and Images

Deadline for Submissions: April 15, 2007
Publication Date: June 1, 2007

This anthology will be a compilation of contemporary writing reporting the struggles, victories and dual past and destiny of blacks in South Africa and blacks in the South USA. We will look at the correlation between the contemporary lives of black South African post apartheid and blacks living in the American South post Jim Crow.

Through their work, writers from South Africa and southern USA will engage in a discussion about the Historical and contemporary lives of people whose struggles have defeated Jim Crow and apartheid (SA + USA). The work will include reflection on the interior life of those peoples during the past struggles; the current conditions post apartheid and their aspirations for a new future. Theses works will include poetry, essays and short fiction. We are looking for a broad range of writing and views.

We are interested in a contemporary look at the similarities in the lives of South Africa - post-apartheid and South USA - post slavery—health, education, education, arts, politics, leadership, AIDS, etc.

Submission Guidelines for South Africa/South USA:

-- all manuscripts submitted electronically must be submitted in the body [of an email] - no attachments will be accepted—this includes photos and cartoons
--Submissions accepted by mail, email, on CD or diskette
-- Original poems up to 5 pages with no more than one poem per page. Single-spaced.
-- Other submissions up to 700 words. Special length submissions will be considered for exceptional ideas or styles. Double-spaced.
-- Bound by a single clip: no folders, notebooks, etc.
-- Title page with name, address, phone number, 25 word bio, and email address if available
-- Payment is in 2 copies
-- Deadline: April 15, 2007
-- For notification, enclose only a letter-size self-addressed, stamped envelope.
-- All manuscripts will be recycled.
-- Final judge: Editorial Committee

Editorial Committee: Michael Simanga, Alice Lovelace, Walter Kefuoe Chakela, Felton Eaddy, Marc Fitten, Robert Earl Price, Malkia M'Buzi Moore

Mail or email submissions to:
South Africa/South USA Anthology
Attention: Alice Lovelace
American Friends Service Committee
92 Piedmont Avenue
Atlanta, GA 30303
alovelace_99@yahoo.com

Centre for the Book calls for 25 best South African books for 2007 Cape Town International Book Fair

The Centre for the Book is asking the book community to participate in this fun book promotion activity. What are the recent South African books that you have loved? Books that you feel capture something of what South Africa is like now?

You don’t have to send us a full list of 25 books - send us the names of your favourite five or six, or even one or two!

You can choose from any genre including children’s books, poetry, fiction, non-fiction -- guidebooks, cookery books, biographies, memoirs, and so on. We will display the chosen books at the Book Fair and a lucky participant will win all 25 books.

books@nlsa.co.za

Native Commissioner wins Africa region: Best Book Commonwealth prize

Penguin Books South Africa has announced that Shaun Johnson has been awarded the 2007 Commonwealth Writers Prize for Best Book: Africa Region for The Native Commissioner.

Mr Johnson has responded to receiving the award as follows:

This is the most wonderful thing that could have happened with this book. I am still absorbing the news, but my first feeling is one of enormous encouragement to get writing all those other novels I keep talking about! I am really grateful to the very many people who have urged me along this road, especially Penguin and now of course the Commonwealth judges *

Alison Lowry, the Chief Executive Officer of Penguin Books South Africa, has commented:

We believed from the start that in Shaun Johnson's The Native Commissioner we had found an extraordinarily powerful new voice in South African literary fiction. This has been borne out not only through strong sales and excellent reviews but now in winning the Commonwealth Prize: Africa Region, through a literary award that gives this book and its author international recognition. Penguin is delighted by the news that this is the book to represent our country and our continent in Jamaica later this year.

The Native Commissioner will now enter the final stage of the competition, where an international judging panel will meet in Jamaica to decide the overall winners of the 21st Commonwealth Writers Prize. The announcement of the overall Best Book and Best First Book will take place at the Calabash International Literary Festival at Treasure Beach on 27 May 2007.

The Commonwealth Writers Prize, an international award for outstanding fiction awarded annually, aims to reward the best in Commonwealth fiction written in English, by both established and new writers, and to take their work to a wider audience. The objectives of the prize are to promote new voices, reward achievement, encourage wider readership and greater literacy, thereby increasing appreciation of different cultures and building understanding between cultures.

An increasingly valued and sought-after award for fiction, the prize is presented annually by the Commonwealth Foundation, an intergovernmental body working to help civil society organisations promote democracy, development and cultural understanding in Commonwealth countries.

Shaun Johnson's The Native Commissioner will be out in paperback in May 2007.

Coconut by Kopano Matlwa wins third annual European Union Literary Award

The third annual European Union Literary Award for a South African best first novel was held at the Goethe-Institut on March 15. The winner, Kopano Matlwa, a 21-year-old medical student at the University of Cape Town, won with her first novel Coconut.

As winner, Kopano receives R25 000; a publishing contract with Jacana Media; an opportunity for international promotion through attending the Frankfurt International Book Fair; and her book Coconut will form part of the Exclusive Books Homebru promotion. Kopano will attend the Cape Town International Book Fair in June this year.

An exciting young voice has emerged that reflects the idiosyncratic nature of our young democracy. Coconut is a story that deals with growing up as a black child in a white world. It is the story of black youth who grow up in white neighbourhoods, go to private schools and have white friends. As is the case with any child, all that these children want is to grow, to be loved; but most importantly, to fit in. Fitting in, however, comes at the cost of one’s blackness - too white for black, and too black for white.

This year's jury - Fred Khumalo, Prof Bheki Peterson and Darryl Accone - were asked to read 42 novels. To ensure fairness, authors’ identities were kept from the jury. Kopano’s novel was a unanimous choice.

The jury gave this citation:

“Narrated from a teenager’s perspective, Kopano Matlwa’s Coconut is an audacious, lyrical and compassionate tale. It explores the grey, in-between, intimate experiences and dilemmas of a young girl who, like the society around her, is undergoing changes that call old boundaries, comforts and certitudes into question.”

The runners-up included:

Carey-Ann Jackson for Gorgon
Hazel Frankel for Counting Sleeping Beauties
Ian Campbell-Gillies for Hopetown
Ruben Mowszowski for Time of Bees

Maxine Case winner of Commonwealth Writers’ Prize – Africa region in category Best First Book

Kwela Books has announced that Maxine Case has been selected as the winner of the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize – Africa region in the category Best First Book for her debut novel, All We Have Left Unsaid.

Case will now go on to compete against the winners in the other six Commonwealth regions: Europe, Canada, the Caribbean, South Asia, South-East Asia and the South Pacific. The overall winners are to be announced at the Calabash International Literary Festival in Jamaica on 27 May, 2007.

This is the first time that Kwela Books has made it onto the short-list for the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize, and the first time in five years that a novel published by a South African publisher has been chosen as winner in either of the two prize categories.

The Writers’ Network Blog - Advice, information and resources for South African writers

How can I get my novel published?
I have written several poems and would like to publish them.
Do you know of a good writing coach?
How do I go about self-publishing?
I would like to join a writers’ group.

The Books e-group and the Writers’ Network at the Centre for the Book receive numerous queries about all aspects of writing. In a bid to answer all questions comprehensively, and to make resources available for writers we have started the Writers’ Network Blog. As queries are answered we will list them under the FAQ (frequently asked questions) category, and so the blog will be very much a work in progress!

As well as answering queries, we will post items of general interest to writers, and provide links to writing-related sites.

Visit the blog at http://writersnetwork.wordpress.com/

*New* poetry: My Country, My Home by Rethabile Masilomole

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: poefrika.blogspot.com and Sotho: sotho.blogsome.com , and is also co-editor of a literary magazine, Canopic Jar: canopicjar.com . He is married and has two children.

My Country, My Home by Rethabile Masilo

First appeared in Ascent Aspirations Magazine www.ascentaspirations.ca

Invitation to coffee morning with Emma van der Vliet, author of Past Imperfect

Between the Covers is hosting a Coffee Morning for Emma van der Vliet whose debut novel Past Imperfect has recently been published. The morning will take place on Thursday 22nd March at Leinster Hall, 7 Weltevreden Street, Gardens. The time will be 10 for 10.30 am and the cost will be R55.00 per head. To book please contact either Ester Richards at 021 671 4358/083 700 6443 or Gail van Niekerk on 021 761 2834/ 083 316 3127.

Metro FM firing up a new book-club slot

Metro FM will have a new Book-Club Slot from the 5th of April 2007 - every Thursday morning at 10h40.

We would appreciate your assistance with review and give-away copies, as well as book events and news when it comes to your authors.

WEEK1: Children’s Books/ Book-events and news

WEEK2: African/ Diaspora Books/ Book-events and news

WEEK3: Countrywide Bookclub - in this week we shall have a Metro FM Listener chat about a book they are reading with a Metro FM Personality review as well.

WEEK4: Book of interest- whatever interesting book that is out at the moment / basically anything goes for this week - we could be looking at whatever topic or issue looking at the industry.

Contact:

Ntosh Ntlokwana
9-12 Producer: Metro FM
m. ntosh@metrofm.co.za
t. 011 714 3032
c. 0736328969
www.metrofm.co.za

EU Literary Award 2008 invites submissions

This award is open to South African writers resident in South Africa.

Award consists of:
• R 25 000
• Manuscript will be published in English by Jacana
• Trip to an international literary festival

What to submit:
• A first, unpublished work of fiction in English (or translations of other South African languages into English providing the work has not been published in other languages)
• The recommended length is between 60 000 and 100 000 words
• One hard copy, A4, typed (1.5 space, 12 point font, margins), securely bound
• One page summary of the novel
• One page biography of the author including e-mail and telephone contact details

CLOSING DATE: 30 SEPTEMBER 2007


Send clearly marked as follows:
EU Literary Award
PO Box 2004
Houghton
2041

NO E-MAIL SUBMISSIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED

MANUSCRIPTS WILL NOT BE RETURNED

What not to submit:
• An unpublished novel if you are a published novelist. Published novelists may not enter this competition, even under pseudonyms.
• Published authors of short stories; plays or poetry may enter their first novels
• Entrants are strongly advised to ensure that manuscripts are submitted in their final, publishable form. Due to publishing production considerations, no drafts will be considered
• Memoirs
• Short Stories
• History, Geography or other non-fictional books

The decision of the Jury will be final. No correspondence will be entered into.

Queries can be directed to: Karabo Kgoleng: euaward@jacana.co.za This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it or phone +27 (11) 628 3212.

Regarding the use of English: Although there are many languages spoken in the countries of the EU, English is the only language that South Africa and the EU have in common. Similarly, it is impossible for all the judges to be fluent in all the South African languages so entries in languages other than English will not be considered

The winning manuscript will be published in May 2008 and will be promoted as part of Exclusive Books Homebru campaign.

Kwela invitation to panel discussion - Writing the City

African Review of Books still ticking

The African Review of Books, despite the long silence of this newsletter, is not dead, merely ticking over and generating verbiage of another sort. Reviews still trickle into the site and this is going to develop into a strong flow in the coming months.

The reason for ARoB's hibernation is that all the energies of the few people who maintain it have been devoted over the past year to the establishment and running of a new publishing house dedicated to fiction and poetry from Africa, Latin America and the Middle East.

It was always one of the hopes of ARoB's founders to see more of the works it highlighted getting into print in the English-reading market.

Instead of waiting for the multinationals to do this, it was decided to put ARoB's expertise to use in publishing, in conjunction with the Latin American Review of Books.

This led to the creation of Aflame Books, which is about to release its third title, From the Darkness, a novel from Guatemala. So far Aflame has published a collection of poetry about Nelson Mandela and has translated into English the detective novel by Angola's Pepetela, Jaime Bunda, Secret Agent.

Halala Madiba: Nelson Mandela in Poetry brings together almost 100 poems from 26 countries which, more than just praising one man, tell the history of South Africa through the eyes of its poets.

Jaime Bunda, Secret Agent is a hilarious, post-modernist tale of an incompetent detective who stumbles from one meal to the next.

Review of both books are available on African Review of Books website.

Both of these books are available through Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.com and Kalahari.net as well as other booksellers in the UK, USA and South Africa .

Other titles to be published by Aflame include two of Africa's 100 best books - Ualalapi by Ungula commercial face to the African Review of Books and the two must work together to succeed, and we are counting on your continued support in our drive to make the literature of Africa more accessible.

And there is another appeal: ARoB needs contributors. If you have a review, or a news item to contribute, please send it to us.

We shall be building up our archive of news items and welcome snippets of book related news from around the world.

Thank you for your continued support and we look forward to offering you more from Africa.

Richard Bartlett African Review of Books Richard Bartlett [mailto:richard@africanreviewofbooks.com]

Announcing the 10th TIME OF THE WRITER international writers festival

Durban: 19 - 24 March 2007

18 writers from 10 countries will descend on Durban for a stimulating feast of words, ideas, and discussion at the Time of the Writer international writers festival. Hosted by the Centre for Creative Arts (University of KwaZulu Natal), the festival celebrates its tenth year with an extensive week-long programme of activities from 19 to 24 March. Diversity of the written word is a notable feature of the festival with novelists, journalists and bloggers of various genres and backgrounds presenting their views for dialogue and debate in the public arena.

A highlight of the festival will be a Human Rights Day programme featuring reading of work by assassinated Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya, a rare interview with Miriam Tlali, and culminating in a presentation by celebrated African literary giant Ngtgi wa Thiongo, who will talk on the role of writers in propagating and cementing human rights. One-time Staffrider columnist, Miriam Tlali was the first black woman writer to publish an English novel, Muriel at Metropolitan, in South Africa, while her 1980 novel on the Soweto uprisings Amandla was banned. Tlali is acclaimed as one of the first South African writers to take seriously the life-worlds of black South African women. wa Thiongo whose first novel in almost two decades, Wizard of the Crow will have its Durban launch during the festival, will also make a presentation on writing in indigenousolitkovskaya's reports on Chechnya, which will be read by John Matshikiza, form part of a co-ordinated global effort to highlight free speech.

Time of the Writers commitment to local writers this year sees an impressive gathering of contemporary South African voices, including 2006 Caine Prize winner Mary Watson. Watson, whose winning story Jungfrau was taken from her moving debut collection Moss, is one of a current crop of young South African writers reshaping and reimagining the countrys literary landscape.

Others include Imraan Coovadia, whose highly regarded comic-dramatic novel The Wedding was followed, last year, by the well-reviewed Green-Eyed Thieves, and Fred Khumalo, editor and columnist at The Sunday Times, whose excellent novel Bitches' Brew was joint winner of the European Union Literary Award in 2005, and has been followed with Touch My Blood in 2006. Participant Zukiswa Wanners debut The Madams is a cheeky and witty portrayal of post-apartheid racial role-reversal in the domestic sphere. Completing this quintet of talented young South African voices is Tom Eaton, a popular columnist of biting wit for the Mail and Guardian, and author of the irreverent novel The De Villiers Code (2005), and Texas (2006).

The festival also hosts the experienced pens of Michael Chapman, one of the countrys foremost literary scholars and curators, and Ronnie Govender, one of Durbans favourite sons. Govender was also recently awarded the South African Literary Lifetime Achievement Award by the Department of Arts and Culture.

African writers are especially well-represented this year with three giants of the continent in attendance. Joining Ngtgi wa Thiongo is Zimbabwean Tsitsi Dangarembga, author of the seminal Nervous Conditions, who makes a welcome second visit to the festival. Dangarembgas much-anticipated second novel The Book of Not was released in August 2006 and has received wonderful reviews. It will be launched during the festival. Joining her will be Aminata Sow Fall from Senegal, a touchstone of Francophone African literature, two of whose works have been made into films.

Doreen Bainganas (Uganda) debut Tropical Fish: Stories out of Entebbe, a collection of linked short stories that explore the coming of age of three African sisters, won the Commonwealth Prize for First Book, Africa Region in 2006. A two-time Caine Prize finalist, Bainganas writing has been described as incandescent. Another Caine Prize finalist is Chika Unigwe (Nigeria/Belgium), a writer of fiction, poetry, and educational material, whose debut De Feniks was the first book of fiction written by a Flemish author of African origin. Vamba Sherif (Liberia/Netherlands) author of three novels in Dutch, is another author of African origin who tells particularly African stories in a language not native to the continent.

Tom Lanoye, a prolific and multi-talented Belgian, is a writer of strong rhetorical ability, with a sharp sense of humour. Highly regarded for both his poetry and theatre work, he and Antjie Krog recently toured Holland with a dynamic two-hander focusing on language linkages. Oscar Hemer, an established Swedish novelist with a keen interest in Africa, forms part of the festivals partnership with the Memories of Modernity project, a broad collaboration between K3 of Malmö University (Sweden) and the Centre for Creative Arts and the Center for Culture and Media Studies of the University of KwaZulu-Natal, and supported by the Department of Arts and Culture. The art exhibition, Houses of Memory at the Durban Art Gallery is produced by South African and Swedish artists and forms the backbone of the Memories of Modernity project. It will run from 4 - 25 April.

In its exploration of different forms that writing takes, the festival this year turns its focus onto the digital realm with blogger Mohammed Ali from Iraq, whose award-winning blog Iraq the Model (www.iraqthemodel.blogspot.com) provides some of the most insightful comment coming out of th the controversial t-shirt company which also now releases a successful annual young culture publication, who will share his insights on alternatives to traditional media.

Readings, discussions and book launches will take place nightly at the Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. The impressive schedule of launches this year include The Book of Not by Tsitsi Dangarembga, Undressing Durban by Rob Pattman, Sultan Khan, and Faith Ka-Manzi, Wizard of the Crow by Ngtgi wa Thiongo, Inter-play: A Collection of Plays by Ronnie Govender, and Hot Type by Bongani Madondo.

A broad range of day activities in the form of school-visits, workshops, a publishing forum, an educators forum and a prison writing programme, are formulated to promote a culture of reading, writing and creative expression.
With this wide-ranging programme of activities and culturally diverse line-up of writers, Time of the Writer 2007 is set to deliver an exceptional platform for dialogue and exchange on wide-ranging subjects from gender and social issues to political affairs, offering insights into the motivations and processes that inform the complex art of writing.

Tickets are R25 for the evening sessions, R10 for students, and can be purchased through Computicket or at the door one hour before the event. Workshops and seminars are free.

Visit www.cca.ukzn.ac.za for biographies and photos of participants or contact the University of KwaZulu-Natals Centre for Creative Arts for more information on 031 260 2506 or e-mail cca@ukzn.ac.za

Time of the Writer 2007 is supported by the Department of Arts and Culture, National Lottery Distribution Fund, HIVOS, City of Durban, Stichting Doen, French Institute of South Africa, Royal Netherlands Embassy, Pro Helvetia Arts Council of Switzerland, Adams Campus Books, Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre and the University of KwaZulu-Natal.

For Media Queries Contact Sharlene Versfeld
T: 031 201 1650
F: 031 201 1654
E: sharlene@versfeld.co.za

Author of A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier, leading discussion on Gather.com

Ishmael Beah, author of A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier, is leading a discussion of his book on Gather.com

Ishmael's tale is truly remarkable. During the Sierra Leone civil war in the '90s, his family was murdered, and at the age of 13 he was recruited to be a child soldier. The novel describes his loss of innocence, eventual escape from the war-torn region, and reintroduction to society. Ishmael's story is brutally honest, and painfully real. He turned struggle into survival -- eventually becoming a spokesperson for the UN to raise awareness about conflicts like those in his country.

In the Starbucks Book Break group, you'll find a video interview with Ishmael Beah, a detailed synopsis and book excerpts.

Invitation to the launch of Pamela Jooste's Star of the Morning

Random House extends an invitation to attend the launch of Star of the Morning by Pamela Jooste.

At Welgemeend on 21 February

RSVP to Laura Boon: 083 659-3166
laura@lbcommunications.co.za

Invitation to Authors' Choice Evening hosted at Wordsworth at the Waterfront

The guest author is André Carl van der Merwe, author of Moffie.

Date: Wednesday, 28 February 2007
Time: 18h30 for 19h00
Venue: WORDSWORTH BOOKS
1 King's Warehouse
Victoria Wharf
V&A Waterfront

André Carl will be discussing his own work, his favourite writers and books as well as his inspiration/motivation when writing.

RSVP before Monday, 26 February 2007
Tel: (021) 425-6880
Email: waterfront@wordsworth.co.za

Moffie will be available at a 20% discount.
Snacks & drinks will be served.

SAFM launches poetry and short story competition

POETRY

Universal theme

Maximum 20 lines

Panel Members will identify the top 5 poems submitted and these will be played on Afternoon Talk on Thursday, 29th March at 13:00. Listeners will be invited to vote for the best poem via sms or e-mail during the programme.

5 Finalists receive R2 000-00 each.

The winner will receive an additional R3 000-00.

SHORT STORY

Universal theme

Not longer than 5’00 (4 x A4 pages in double spacing)

Panel members will identify the top 5 short stories and these will be played on Afternoon Talk on Friday, 30th March at 13:00. Listeners will be invited to vote for the best short story via sms or e-mail during the programme.

5 Finalists receive R5 000-00 each.

The winner will receive an additional R5 000-00.

Entries may be submitted electronically to express@safm.co.za

or sent via the post to:

EXPRESS YOURSELF

SAfm
P.O. Box 91162
Auckland Park
2006

Closing date for entries is Friday, 16th March, 2007.

Please ensure that your full name, postal or e-mail address and a day-time telephone number are indicated on your entry.

Please include the following at the end of your work:

“I declare that this poem/short story is my original work, and has not been published or broadcast in any form or medium, nor is it presently on offer.”

2007 Commonwealth Writers' Prize shortlists

Africa

Best Book

The Native Commissioner, by Shaun Johnson (South Africa), Penguin Books
What Kind of Child, by Ken Barris (South Africa), Kwela Books
Half of a Yellow Sun, by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (Nigeria), Harper Collins
The Wizard of the Crow, by Ngugi wa Thiong'o (Kenya), Random House UK
Playing in the Light, by Zoe Wicomb (South Africa), Umuzi
Song of the Atman, by Ronnie Govender (South Africa), Jacana

Best First Book

All We Have Left Unsaid, by Maxine Case (South Africa), Kwela Books
Ice in the Lungs, by Gerald Kraak (South Africa), Jacana
A Life Elsewhere, by Segun Afolabi (Nigeria), Jonathan Cape
Room 207, by Kgebeti Moele (South Africa), Kwela Books
The Beggar's Signwriters, by Louis Greenberg (South Africa), Umuzi
The Shadow Follows, by David Medalie (South Africa), Picador Africa


Canada and the Caribbean

Best Book

The Law of Dreams, by Peter Behrens (Canada), House of Anansi Press
Chutney Power, by Willi Chen (Trinidad), Macmillan Caribbean
Fabrizio's Return, by Mark Frutkin (Canada), Knopf Canada
The Emperor's Children, by Claire Messud (Canada), Picador
The Unfortunate Marriage of Azeb Yitades, by Nega Mezlekia (Canada), Penguin Group (Canada)
The View from Castle Rock, by Alice Munro (Canada), Chatto and Windus
The Friends of Meager Fortune, by David Adams Richards (Canada), Doubleday Canada

Best First Book

Baby Khaki's Wings, by Anar Ali (Canada), Viking
Vandal Love, by D.Y. Bechard (Canada), Doubleday
De Niro's Game, by Rawi Hage (Canada), House of Anansi Press
The Fear of Stones, by Kei Miller (Jamaica), Macmillan Caribbean
Indigenous Beasts, by Nathan Sellyn (Canada), Raincoast Books
The Hour of Bad Decisions, by Russell Wangersky (Canada), Coteau Books

Europe and South Asia

Best Book

Sacred Games, by Vikram Chandra (India), Penguin
Miss Webster and Chérif, by Patricia Duncker (UK), Bloomsbury
The Sweet and Simple Kind, by Yasmine Gooneratne (Sri Lanka), Perera Hussein
Carry Me Down, by M J Hyland (UK), Canongate
Black Swan Green, by David Mitchell (UK), Sceptre
The Perfect Man, by Naeem Murr (UK), Heinemann
The Testament of Gideon Mack, by James Robertson (UK), Hamish Hamilton

Best First Book

The Saffron Kitchen, by Yasmin Crowther (UK) Abacus/Little Brown
The Mathematics of Love, by Emma Darwin (UK) Headline/Review
This Time of Dying, by Reina James (UK) Portobello
Giraffe, by J M Ledgard (UK), Jonathan Cape
Londonstani, by Gautam Malkani (UK), Fourth Estate
In the Country of Men, by Hisham Matar (UK), Viking
The Amnesia Clinic, by James Scudamore (UK), Harvill Secker

South East Asia and South Pacific

Best Book

Ocean Roads, by James George (New Zealand), Huia
Theft: A Love Story, by Peter Carey (Australia), Knopf/Random House
Mr Pip, by Lloyd Jones (New Zealand), Penguin
Carpentaria, by Alexis Wright (Australia), Giramondo
The Fainter, by Damien Wilkins (New Zealand), Victoria University Press
Red Spikes, by Margo Lanagan (Australia), Allen and Unwin
Careless, by Deborah Robertson (Australia), Picador

Best First Book

Tuvalu by Andrew O'Connor (Australia), Allen and Unwin
Davey Darling by Paul Shannon (New Zealand), Penguin
The Fish & Chip Song, by Carl Nixon (New Zealand), Vintage
The Long Road of the Junkmailer, by Patrick Holland (Australia), UQP
Poinciana, by Jane Turner Goldsmith (Australia), Wakefield

A Million Penguins - experiment in creative writing

Penguin UK has launched 'A Million Penguins', a first-of-a-kind experiment in creative writing and collaboration based on the wiki principle at http://www.amillionpenguins.com. The wiki will be accompanied by a blog where a Penguin editor will provide a running editorial commentary on the work in progress. It is managed by Kate Pullinger, Reader in Creative Writing and New Media at De Montfort University, along with students from the online MA in Creative Writing and New Media.

Jeremy Ettinghausen, Penguin's Digital Publisher, said: "Communities, crowdsourcing and collaboration are the buzz words of the moment and we wanted to discover whether these social values could be applied to creative writing in the same way they are to, say, open source software. To be honest, we don't know exactly what is going to happen or how this will turn out - I guess that is up to the community!"

"The success of Penguin Remixed and the recent My Penguin initiative have shown that people are not simply content to be passive consumers of content, they want to get involved and the internet has given them the means to do this," said Ettinghausen. "What we're trying to do with A Million Penguins is see how we can use the new technology platforms that now exist to bring people into the world of books and writing and hopefully provide a forum where they can express themselves creatively and have some entertainment in the process."

Penguin is collaborating with students from the MA in Creative Writing and New Media at De Montfort University who will be contributing to the wiki and will form the seeds of the community. "The success of a wiki project depends on the committment of the community," said Ettinghausen, "and we're very pleased that these most imaginative students are on board."

see also: http://books.guardian.co.uk/news/articles/0,,2003520,00.html
Contribute at http://www.amillionpenguins.com

British Council announces South African finalist in 2007 International Young Publisher of the Year Award

The International Young Publisher of the Year Award (IYPYA) is a collaborative initiative between the British Council and London Book Fair and was launched in 2004 to celebrate the entrepreneurial and leadership ability of a young persons working in the publishing sector, who are between the ages of 25-35 years.

This award aims to strengthen creative leadership, networking and capacity building in the international publishing industry, particularly in transitional economies. The London Book Fair provides a fertile ground for international networking and the award offers finalists the opportunity to build contacts with, and an understanding of, the UK publishing industry.

The British Council South Africa has announced 34 year old Cape Town based publishing entrepreneur, Solomon Solani Ngobeni, as the country’s 2007 finalist in this award.


Solomon Solani Ngobeni (South Africa)

Solomon Solani Ngobeni holds a Masters degree in Publishing Studies, obtained at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, as well as an Advanced Management Programme Certificate obtained at the Wits Business School. After graduating, he joined the Institute for Global Dialogue, a research institute based in Midrand, Johannesburg as a Publications and Projects Co-ordinator. He later joined Juta & Co as Higher Education Publisher, specialising in psychology, political science and education, building a formidable psychology list under the University of Cape Town’s Press Imprint.

In 2004 Solani was appointed Managing Director of Juta Learning, a division of Juta & Co. He was responsible for Further Education and Training related publishing until his resignation in January 2007. Upon resignation, Solani founded S & S Publishing, an academic publishing house specialising in social sciences as well as Further Education and Training. Further information about S & S Publishing is available at www.sspublishing.co.za

Solani has written and published on issues such as publishing management, the lack of bn publishing, as well as the impact of the dominance of knowledge produced in developed countries and its impact on viable publishing in the South. He has also written profusely around issues about the dearth of knowledge production by black academies in South Africa, the fact that 80% of South African knowledge is produced predominantly by white males and the slow pace of transformation in the South African publishing industry.

This young author and publisher strongly believes that the South African publishing industry will only grow and prosper once black South Africans have been brought into the mainstream of the knowledge economy, as both producers and consumers of knowledge. The future survival of the industry depends on it!

Commonwealth Writers’ Awards shortlist announced

Jacana Media has announced two authors on the Commonwealth Writers’ Awards Shortlist. Ronnie Govender’s first novel, Song of the Atman, has been shortlisted for the Best Book - Africa Region and Gerald Kraak’s first novel, Ice in the Lungs, has been shortlisted for Best First Book - Africa Region.

“Song of the Atman is a ground-breaking book and a riveting read. This beautifully written novel has all the makings of a South African classic.” – Kader Asmal, M.P.

“Song of the Atman was shortlisted for the European Union Literary Award in 2005, and Ice in the Lungs was joint winner of the European Union Literary Award in 2006. It is heartening to note in the local success of both titles, that South African book buyers have already recognized the quality of these new voices” - Maggie Davey, Jacana Publishing Director

Ronnie Govender was awarded a Life Time Achievement Award in 2006 by the Department of Arts and Culture.

“The fact that four of the six short-listed Best Book titles and five of the six Best First Book titles are by South African writers is a wonderful affirmation of the vibrancy of the South African literary landscape” - Mike Martin, Jacana MD.

The winner of the 21st Commonwealth Writers’ Prize will be announced on 27 May 2007 at the Calabash International Literary Festival in Jamaica.

Invitation from Kalk Bay Books: Barbara Trapido & Mavis Cheek

Barbara Trapido, popular author of, among others,

Brother of the More Famous Jack and Frankie and Stankie

will talk about these and her upcoming novel at Kalk Bay Books.

Saturday, February 10
6 for 6.30pm
RSVP by Thursday 8 February
books@kalkbaybooks.co.za

---

Meet the Jane Austen of the 21st Century

Mavis Cheek will be at Kalk Bay Books to meet you.

Saturday, February 16
6 for 6.30pm
RSVP by Wednesday 14 February
books@kalkbaybooks.co.za

National Library of South Africa hosts Karen Stewart's fine art masters exhibition

The National Library of South Africa will be hosting an exhibition of botanical paintings as well as a display of original 16th and 17th and 18th century books from February 7 to March 23, 2007.

The main body of work on display will be Karen Stewart's fine art masters exhibition entitled "Opening the Curiosity Box". The work, in the form of an artist's book, takes a critical look at the curiosity collections of the 16th and 17th century, focusing on the botanical illustrations of the European pioneer plant collectors in South Africa during this period, who collected plants `in God's name' for the `betterment of science'.

Stewart's work features illustrations of indigenous plants which are woven in with local stories/legends which up to now have been poorly documented, if at all. Her aim is to reintroduce local knowledge of our indigenous flora that has long been excluded from scientific study to open up debate around these issues.

The National Library has agreed to allow a number of rare botanical and anthropological books from the 16th and 17th century to go on display to complement Stewart's work.

Exhibition venue: The Red Space, National Library of South Africa (behind St George's Cathedral).
Date: February 7 to March 23
Times: Mon - Fri 9am - to 5pm except Wednesdays 10am - 5pm
Entrance free to the public.

Justin Fox launches Under the Sway

Umuzi and Exclusive Books are pleased to announce the publication of Under the Sway by photographer and travel writer Justin Fox. This historical and cultural odyssey through picturesque Mozambique is presented as a single journey. A lively and informative text, accompanied by 120 photographs, provides the reader with deep insights into both Mozambique, the destination, and its people.

You are invited to join the author at the launch of Under the Sway.

Date: Thursday, 15 February 2007

Time: 5:30 for 6:00pm

Venue: Exclusive Books V&A Waterfront, Shop 6160, Victoria Wharf, V&A Waterfront, Cape Town

RSVP: EB V&A- (021) 419-0905 / waterfront@exclusivebooks.co.za

Centre for the Book's Community Publishing Project breaking ground

The Centre for the Book's Community Publishing Project (CPP) is proud to announce that twenty books have now been published with the support of its grants. This ground-breaking project has made it possible for writers to publish their own work where no other avenues were open to them.

Popular fiction - crime, romance, thrillers in all languages would be especially welcomed for future grants.

The most recent books to be published with grants from the CPP are children's books, Mogopo wa Rakgadi in Sepedi written by Mphuhle Annah Mehlape and The Princesses' Journey in isiXhosa and English by Christina Russell and illustrated by Zodwa Skeyi. Others are a playscript, Salaam by Ashraf Johaardien and a collection of poems by Phillippa Yaa de Villiers, Taller than Buildings.

It is not easy to get books written in African languages published, especially if they are not specifically for the school market. So far, Mehlape has battled to get local bookshops to stock her book. Poetry and plays are genres that most publishers are not keen to take on, except in rare cases.

The grant to Ashraf Johaardien is something of a success story.

Although Johaardien is a well known actor and playwright he was unable to interest publishers in his script until he received a grant from the CPP. Nasou Via Afrika are now considering his play for the school market. "As a direct result of the publication the play has been invited to Kuala Lumpur during 2007," says Johaardien. He sold more than a third of the print run of Salaam at his recent highly successful performance of Salaam at the Artscape in Cape Town.

The Centre for the Book has produced three very useful publications for writers and small publishers - A rough guide to small-scale and self publishing; a South African Small Publishers' Catalogue and a series of ten advice pamphlets on all aspects of writing, editing and publishing for writers. "Each of these publications has grown out of the needs and demands of the writers and small publishers we work with," says Colleen Higgs, manager of the project.

The Small Publishers' Catalogue is available as a blog and has excited a great deal of interest - in a couple of months since it went live it has had over 5000 hits and many fascinating contributions.

"The next step is to build a network of small and independent publishers. They need to be represented on bodies such as the MAPPP Seta and they need to be able to exhibit their wares collectively at the Cape Town International Book Fair".

The CPP was started with funding and a vision from Hannes van Zyl, then the CEO of NB Publishers. Since then it has received funding from Nasou Via Afrika, the MAPPP Seta and most recently the Mpumalanga Provincial Library service, who are funding the project so that the Community Publishing Project can offer grants particularly to writers in that province.

Sheila Fugard's The Magic Scattering of a Life launches at Kalk Bay Books

Sheila Fugard will launch her new collection of poetry:

The Magic Scattering of a Life

at Kalk Bay Books
Saturday, February 3
5 for 5.30pm
RSVP by Friday 2 February
books@kalkbaybooks.co.za

Top poets in Live Poets’ Society (LiPS) line-up

Some of the country’s top poets are set to strut their stuff at the next gathering of the Live Poets’ Society (LiPS) in Durban. The occasion is the Durban launch of the thirteenth issue of Fidelities, KZN’s only literary journal, which was published at the end of last year. It takes place at 6pm on Tuesday 30 January in the Point Yacht Club.

Edited by prize-winning poet and playwright Kobus Moolman, Fidelities boasts the cream of South African poets - many of whom are LiPS members. It features several poets who have their own collections to their names. These include - in order of appearance in the volume - Joan Kerchhoff, Deena Padayachee, Michelle McGrane, Gabeba Baderoon, Alan Kolski Horwitz, Moira Lovell, Joop Bersee, Sally-Ann Murray and of course Kobus Moolman himself.

He will introduce some of these big names as well as highly gifted emerging poets who are also in the journal. Many who have appeared in previous issues will also voice their work. This issue of Fidelities is notable for a number of long poems, which are a rarity in small anthologies. For aspiring poets there are also useful tips by poet-publisher Gary Cummiskey on the dos and don’ts of submitting poetry for publication.

Moolman has nominated “13” as the theme for the session following the Fidelities poets. It may be interpreted as individually or loosely as desired, and all are welcome to present their takes on the subject. The evening closes with a “Poet Pourri” session, when poets may air their work on any topic they wish.

There is no subscription or entry fee, but contributions towards expenses may be placed in the donation box. All are welcome, regardless of whether they write poetry. There is a cash bar, and guarded parking is available at R5. For more details, please contact Brett Beiles - 031 266 4762.

LiPS members in this issue are (in order of appearance):

Joan Kerchhoff, Deena Padayachee, Louise Buchler, Michelle McGrane, Damian Garside, Alan Kolski Horwitz, Jonathan Ballam, Liesl Jobson, Jess Auerbach, Moira Lovell, Floss M Jay, Kelly Dyer, Janet van Eeden, Sally-Ann Murray.

But participation is not restricted to LiPS members - please encourage others you may know in the current and previous Fidelities to attend and take part.

Brett Beiles [mailto:brettb@hardyboys.co.za]
031 266 4762.

International conference to be held at Centre for the Book

Cape Town, 2-4 April 2007

This Conference is the fourth in a series of regional conferences in Sydney, Wellingtonand Kolkata following the COLONIAL AND POST-COLONIAL CULTURES OF THE BOOK held at RhodesUniversity, Grahamstown in 2001.

It is organised by Professor John Gouws of RhodesUniversity, under the aegis of the Society for the History of Authorship, Readingand Publishing.

The conference will address a wide range of questions relating to 'the history of the book' in colonial and post-colonial contexts. Relevant topics include:

national and transnational communities of letters; alternative public spheres; censorship; the history of reading and reading theories; reviewing and criticism; authorship; sociologies of the text; text and image; the economies of cultural prestige; media history; the cultures of collecting; library history; literacy; oral cultures; orality and print; printing and publishing history; the marketing and distribution of books; the electronic text; and the future of the book.

The purpose is to bring together all stakeholders: academics working in the fields of Textual Studies, Book and Cultural History, the Media, Anthropology, and new and old technologies of the text, archivists, librarians, educationalists, publishers, public administrators, funding bodies and government. It is hoped that special attention will be given to the development of protocols for recording Southern African orature and performance art.

For more information on the conference please visit the following website:

http://www.ru.ac.za/conferences/aworldelsewhere/index.html

A selection of short story collections worth reading:

http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/archive/2006/December/31/style/stories/02style.htm

Zimbabwean literature: a nervous condition

http://www.pambazuka.org/en/issue/current/

The current issue of Pambazuka news includes a good profile on the state of literature in Zimbabwe. Brian Chikwava, Guest Editor, winner of the 2004 Caine Prize for African Writing writes: "Thankfully, in spite of or because of the difficulties that Zimbabwe is going through, the turn of the century has seen a quiet adjustment in the publishing of fiction, giving new voices a better platform to be heard".

Also featuring writing by: Stanley Makuwe, a Zimbabwean writer based in Auckland, New Zealand. His short story collection, Under This Tree & Other Stories, was published last year by Polygraphia. He is also last year’s runner up for the BBC World Service Short Story Award;

Nyevero Muza, a Harare based writer and poet;

Chris Mlalazi, a playwright and fiction writer from Bulawayo. His work has been featured in the Crossing Borders project and several publications. His story, Broken Wings has been shortlisted for the HSBC/SA PEN Literary Award 2007;

Chaltone Tshabangu, a Bulawayo based writer. He has in the past participated in the British Council sponsored Crossing Borders project and last year was a joint winner of the BBC World Service Short Story Award.

Macmillan Writer’s Prize for Africa

Macmillan is today delighted to announce the start of the fourth Macmillan Writer’s Prize for Africa, the only literary prize awarded to writers of unpublished African children’s literature. The competition is open to entrants from all countries in Africa.

Previous prize winners have had their entries published and promoted by Macmillan throughout Africa; winning and shortlisted entries have come from Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Uganda, Sierra Leone, South Africa and Zambia to date, and there have been a number of strong contenders from other African countries. Here are comments from two competitors:

“Even though I didn’t win, I was greatly encouraged to learn that my entry was nominated as one of the best from my country. I will definitely try again next time.”

“I’ve enjoyed reading some of the published winners. It has helped me to be more aware of my own writing, and to think more carefully about writing for children.”

Following the successful launch of the Macmillan Children’s Illustrator Award in 2005, Macmillan is pleased to be running this competition a second time, in recognition of the importance of pictures in African children’s books.

Macmillan Education is sponsoring both prizes with the following awards. Macmillan will also offer publication for the winning stories:

Junior Award
For an original, unpublished story in English of not more than 10,000 words written for children in the 8-12 age range
Prize value US$5,000

Senior Award
For an original, unpublished story in English between 14,000 and 20,000 words, written for young people between the ages of 13 and 17 years.
Prize value US$5,000

New Children’s Writer Award
For and original story in either the junior or senior category by a previously unpublished writer
Prize Value US$3,000

Children’s Illustrator Award
For an illustration based on one of the texts detailed in the competitor’s pack.
Prize value US$1,000

The closing date for all entries is 30 June 2007. Manuscripts for the Writer’s Prize will be evaluated by an independent panel of four judges who are prominent writers: Meshack Asare, Jamila Gavin, Jack Mapanje and Helen Oyeyemi. The shortlist will be announced in November 2007 and the prize winners will be announced in January 2008. There will be a special awards ceremony later in the year to celebrate the publication of the winning stories.

The winning entry for the Illustrator’s Award will be displayed as part of the Writer’s Award ceremony. Macmillan will enter into separate discussions with the winning illustrator regarding further assignments in children’s book illustration for Africa.

Competitors’ packs with full information and entry forms can be obtained FREE from local Macmillan offices or by emailing writersprize@macmillan.co.uk

Nicki Price
Macmillan Education
Between Towns Road
Oxford
OX4 3PP
n.price@macmillan.com
www.write4africa.com
Or
Nombuso Mkhize
Macmillan South Africa
PO Box 32484
Braamfontein
2017
mkhizen@macmillan.co.za
(Tel) 011 731 3330
(Fax) 011 731 3552

Russel Brownlee, Jane Taylor win Olive Schreiner Prize for Prose

The English Academy of Southern Africa is happy to announce the winners of the 2006 Olive Schreiner Prize for Prose. As there had been a number of excellent entries, the panel decided to split the prize between two novels, both first novels, with very honourable mention of a third. The joint winners are Russel Brownlee’s Garden of the Plagues (Human & Rousseau, 2005) and Jane Taylor’s Of Wild Dogs (Double Storey Books, 2005). Honourable mention goes to Consuelo Roland’s The Good Cemetery Guide (Double Storey Books, 2005), which the judges describe as “an intensely readable creation of story and character”.

The panel had the following to say about the winners:

Brownlee’s Garden of the Plagues is a devastating, imaginative presentation of what life in the early Cape could have been (and probably was!) like*. It is stylistically distinguished. The author has hammered out a curt, taut style. It is an impressive novelistic debut in which the more explicit moments are all the more brutally effective. It is a novel about survivors: those who manage against odds to preserve some shreds of fineness that hold out faint hope of a more humane and cultivated future.

Ebullience, by contrast, characterizes Jane Taylor’s mystery novel about contemporary South Africa or perhaps a South Africa that is only just beginning to emerge from its past. Taylor wields a lively and satirical pen and political correctness and some of our current holy cows, ubuntu, for example, get poked in the ribs. It is very refreshing and a hopeful portent for the future of writing in South Africa, though the novel is not untouched by the chamber of horrors*. The novel conveys the texture of an evolving society from which the horrors are beginning to recede.

Russel Brownlee completed a journalism degree at Stellenbosch in 1991 and then spent several years working as a radio news writer and magazine sub-editor in Johannesburg. He now lives in Cape Town where he works as a freelance writer and editor. Brownlee has been writing fiction for several years, but Garden of the Plagues is his first published work.

Jane Taylor holds the Skye Chair of Dramatic Art at the University of the Witwatersrand, and teaches courses in film studies, directing, and contemporary American theatre, as well as a graduate course on the thriller film and psychoanalysis. She has a background in theatre studies and a PhD in English from Northwestern University, Chicago, USA. Recently, Taylor’s work has included inquiries around the representation of remorse at the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, and at the World Court. She is currently working on a scholarly book on the performance of “Sincerity,” as well as a new novel.