Serote’s epic poem Sikhahlel’u OR asks pertinent questions on stage

Poet laureate and struggle stalwart Mongane Wally Serote calls on South Africans and the governing ANC party to do introspection about the country’s current state and determine its future. Serote is making the call through his latest play, Sikhahlel’u OR (Oliver Tambo), which made its...

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Water-wise wordsmiths bag top spots in poetry competition

A distant dream and an eye-opening reality proved to be two different sources of creavity for two Makhanda wordsmiths who put pen to paper and earned themselves the two spots in the national Avbob Poetry Project.Frontier country creatives Sithembele Xhegwana and Jeannie McKeown, both 50,...

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Isele Prizes 2023 shortlists announced

The shortlists for the Isele Prizes 2023 were announced on Tuesday, March 21, 2023.The Isele Prizes were founded to celebrate the best of short stories, poetry, and essays by writers published in the Ukamaka Olisakwe founded Isele Magazine in 2022. They are split into three categories...

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African Book Festival Berlin disinvites its 2023 curator

The African Book Festival Berlin 2023 which happens from August 25-27 disinvited its curator Mohamedou Ould Slahi Houbeini on March 14, 2023.The African Book Festival Berlin has been happening in the German city since 2018. Apart from the two Covid years, the festival has run to much...

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Nétonon Noël Ndjékéry wins Grand Prix Littéraire d'Afrique Noire 2022 in France

Nétonon Noël Ndjékéry’s Il n’y a pas d’arc-en-ciel au Paradis was declared the winner of Grand Prix Littéraire d’Afrique Noire 2022 in Paris, France on Saturday, March 18, 2022.Grand Prix Littéraire d’Afrique Noire is a literary prize presented every year by the Association of French Language...

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Griffin Poetry Prize 2023 longlist announced. Winner to receive $130 000

The longlist for the Griffin Poetry Prize 2023 was announced in Toronto, Canada on Wednesday, March 15, 2023.The Griffin Poetry Prize is the world’s largest international prize for a first edition single collection of poetry written in or translated into English. The Canada-based prize...

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Creative juices of SA wordsmiths will flow at Durban’s Time of the Writer festival

Durban’s Time of the Writer festival kicks off on 16 March and runs until 21 March.  The festival, taking place at the Alliance Francaise de Durban when it’s not online, is presented by the Centre for Creative Arts at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. This is its 26th iteration.The festival...

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Afritondo Short Story Prize 2023 shortlist announced

The shortlist of five writers in the running for the Afritondo Short Story Prize 2023 was announced on Saturday, March 11 2023.Afritondo, a platform that aims to connect with and tell the stories of African and black minority populations across the globe, is the organisation behind the Afritondo...

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Book Review - Suggest Paradise

Suggest Paradise by Ray GonzalezUniversity of New Mexico Press, February 2023Born and raised in El Paso, Texas, Ray Gonzalez returns to Texas and nearby New Mexico to meditate on love, literature, loss, and la línea in Suggest Paradise. The collection offers readers some of the richest...

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TIME OF THE WOMEN AT TIME OF THE WRITER

An all women curatorial team is behind the Time of the Writer Festival at the Centre for Creative Arts at the University of KwaZulu-Natal which opens this week.The team comprises (back) Siphindile Hlongwa, Philisiwe Manqele, Senamile Mabuza, Silindile Veracious Shazi, Mvunga Mbali Mtetwa,...

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Aspiring poets invited to find their inner muse

Aspiring poets who don't know where to start their journey need look no further than George Library. On Tuesday 14 March, the library will host a "found poetry" workshop to recognise World Poetry Day (21 March). It will be co-presented by two local poets, Dr Mike Hagemann and Archie...

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March matched with poetic madness

It's that time of the year again were everything shifts from normalcy to poetic madness. The Afro Poetry Times March 2023 edition has a bumper issue that will surely keep your mind amplified. From unpublished poems to inspirational articles. From short stories to competitions. We...

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Khoikhoi writers festival is back!

To celebrate and showcase the writing by Khoikhoi authors, and to educate the general population about Khoikhoi literature, the annual Khoikhoi Writers Festival is back and will take place at the Bertha House in Mowbray later this month. This year’s activities will see book discussions...

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