The South African literary scene seems to be back to its vibrant self after three years during the worst of the pandemic. We can’t fit in everything that has happened or will happen, so do keep an eye on our social media as well.
Modjaji authors will be at the Kingsmead Book Fair on 27th May 2023!
We are excited that four of our authors will be at the Kingsmead Book Fair this year! Ashti Juggath, author of Peaches and Smeets, Barbara Adair, author of In the Shadow of the Springs I Saw, Anne Schlebusch, author of Bloomer, and Janet van Eeden, author of Cut to the Chase: Scriptwriting for Beginners, will be going to the Kingsmead Book Fair! Janet van Eeden will be facilitating a workshop on filmmaking for Kingsmead students.
Three of our authors will be at the Franschhoek Literary Festival!
The FLF programme is live and three of our authors will be at the festival. Khadija Tracey Heeger, author of Thicker than Sorrow, Anne Schlebusch, author of Bloomer, and Tracey Hawthorne, author of Flipped, have been invited to speak. We are pleased to hear that the Bloomer event is sold out!
In an article on News24, Shaun de Waal writes about the event that Tracey Hawthorne will be speaking at: ‘The problem of processing trauma will be the focus of a discussion, led by broadcaster John Maytham, with Margie Orford (The Eye of the Beholder), Lester Walbrugh (Elton Baatjies) and Tracey Hawthorne (Flipped). It will ask whether fiction is a useful way to help us confront and work through personal or national trauma.’ Check out the full article here
To view the programme and book tickets, check out FLF’s website.
Spotlight on Bloomer by Anne Schlebusch
Bloomer was published earlier this month and has hit the ground running! Read this article on our website which explains why we think this is.
‘While the world is happier with its oldies locked away during the pandemic, the lovable and maverick elders of Hazyview Mansions, galvanised by Maggie and her friends, have their own ideas. Romance, old loves; individual, local and global issues drive the story of this consequential movement with sustained and gentle humour.’
You can get your copy of Bloomer here!
Rosebank Writers Group Launch
We had a blast at the launch of Bloomer hosted by the Rosebank Writers Group at Bertha House.The launch featured a fascinating discussion between Anne Schlebusch and Nancy Richards.
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Exclusive Books Launch
An evening well spent at the Exclusive Books Cavendish launch, featuring a discussion between Twanji Kalula and Anne Schlebusch. The event was written about in the Sentinel News in an article titled ‘Don’t be a Late Bloomer.’
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Upcoming launch.
We are also having a launch of Bloomer in Joburg at Rosebank Exclusive Books on 30th May. Anne will be in conversation with Rozanne MacKenzie of Jacaranda Radio.
Cut to the Chase: Scriptwriting for Beginners launched at Ike’s Books and Collectables, plus an interview for Litnet.
Ike’s Books & Collectables hosted the launch of Janet van Eeden’s long-awaited Cut to the Chase: Scriptwriting for Beginners. It was a wonderful evening, featuring a conversation with Roel Twijnstra.
Naomi Meyer also did an interview with Janet van Eeden for Litnet. Check it out here!
You can get your copy here!
“This user-friendly manual unlocks the world of film writing for students. Over the past twenty-something years of writing film, Janet van Eeden made every mistake in the book and eventually turned to experts to hone her craft effectively. Using advice from screenwriting experts such as Robert McKee and Christopher Vogler, amongst many others, she has developed an effective approach to screenwriting. Cut to the Chase, Scriptwriting for Beginners breaks down the essentials of writing for film through a series of eight chapters with practical tasks to implement the knowledge given in each section.”
Colleen Higgs explores the issue of transmission in a recent French publication.
Colleen Higgs was featured in a French publication about transferring ownership in the publishing world. The article comes from a journal called Bibliodiversite and explores the important issue of how to keep publishing houses alive once the founder wishes to move on or retire.
The article offers valuable insight into the challenges facing independent publishers in the South African context. Be sure to check it out! You can download your copy here. Although the article is in French you can read it if you click ond the article and choose English.
Skin Rafts shortlisted for the 2023 NIHSS Poetry Award!
We are thrilled to announce that Skin Rafts by Kelwyn Sole (one of our Hands-On titles) has been shortlisted for the National Institute for the Humanities and Social Sciences poetry award!
You can get your copy of Skin Rafts here!
A poetry reading and a book launch at Salon Hecate.
Two of our authors, Sindiwe Magona and Margeret Clough, read at an event called ‘Wisdom of the Elders with Salon Hecate’. Magona is the author of Please, Take Photographs, and Clough published two poetry collections with Modjaji, At least the Duck Survived and The Last to Leave.
Salon Hecate also hosted a launch of Keith Gottschalk’s poetry collection, Cosmonauts Do It In Heaven, on Keith’s birthday. His book was published by Hands-On Books, an imprint of Modjaji Books.
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Jeanie McKeown was the featured poet for Off the Wall Poetry!
Author of Fall Awake, Jeanie McKeown, did a Zoom reading at Off the Wall Poetry, as she lives in Makhanda. Off the Wall Poetry is ‘Cape Town’s longest running and most regular poetry event’. We have a copy of the reading if you would like to listen to it.
Three of our authors participated in the Queer Lit Salon hosted by Bridge Books.
Uvile Ximba, author of Dreaming in Colour, Arja Salafranca, author of Beyond Touch, and Barbara Adair, author of In Tangier We Killed the Blue Parrot and Will, the Passenger Delaying Flight, participated in various discussions about the nuances of queer writing at the Bridge Books Queer Lit Salon.
The Queer Lit Salon is, ‘A new literary event celebrating queer writing and the joy of reading’.
You can buy copies of these and other titles on our website.
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Modjaji Authors in Morocco!
Two of our authors, Ashti Juggath and Barbara Adair, had a ball at a literary festival honouring African women writers in Morocco earlier this month.
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Review of Collaborative Conversations: Celebrating Twenty-One Years of The Mothertongue Project.
Loren Kruger wrote a thought-provoking review of Collaborative Conversations: Celebrating Twenty-One Years of The Mothertongue Project for the Theatre Journal. Kruger writes, “The conversations in the book provide ample testimony of the social and artistic force of participatory dramaturgy for sustaining democratic action in South Africa and should also speak to readers interested in the art and the application of curating care at other locations in the Global—and glocal—South.”
You can get your copy of Collaborative Conversations here!
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Excerpts of In the Shadow of the Springs I saw were featured in three newspapers, plus an interview on SABC2.
News24, Saturday Star and Daily Maverick published excerpts of In the Shadow of the Springs I Saw by Barbara Adair.
Adair was also interviewed by Lebo Serache for SABC2 News. You can check it out here!
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A guide to becoming a published poet is up on Modjaji’s blog.
‘Experienced poetry and literary magazine editors and publishers, Robert Berold, Gary Cummiskey, and Colleen Higgs share their advice and suggestions on becoming a published poet. First in literary magazines and then progressing to getting a collection published. It’s not comprehensive and things change all the time. Literary magazines come and go, poetry publishers too.’
Check out the full post here!
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