Karina Author, Book

Karavan Press title: Who Looks Inside by Anna Stroud

I wish I could stay where I am right now.

In the in-between, neither here nor there.

The past behind me, the future a distant dream.

The news of her mother’s death pulls Hannah back from South Korea to her childhood home in the Karoo where she discovers that she has never escaped her abusive father and passive mother. That, in fact, she has been there all along, baking bread and raising a son whose father might be a local farmer she is having an affair with. Her world unravels as she struggles to separate the life she has built for herself from the one she survived. Unsettling, eerie and evocative, Who Looks Inside explores themes of childhood trauma in a working-class Afrikaans family.

“Poetic, atmospheric and haunting—Who Looks Inside is an intricate and compelling exploration of family trauma, small-town secrets and the decisions that seal our destinies.” — JENNIFER MALEC

ISBN: 978-1-0672224-2-0

Publication date: May 2024

Cover artworks: Serena Moodley Anderson | Cover design: Monique Cleghorn

About the author:

ANNA STROUD loves books. Like, really loves them. Authors, too. She once travelled over two hundred kilometres by bus from Daegu to Wonju in South Korea to hear Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o speak. She’s been reading Antjie Krog since the age of eleven, even the sweary bits. She moved close to Love Books so she’d never miss a book launch. Naturally, she’d become a writer, with stories appearing in Grocott’s Mail, Cue, WordStock, The Sunday Times, Books LIVE, City Press, The Reading List, Daily Maverick, The Johannesburg Review of Books, tagged! and Business Day, among others. When she’s not writing, she’s walking her husband, Sean, and two dogs, Raven and Poe, at the park. Who Looks Inside is her debut novel.

Karina Author

Author: Anna Stroud

ANNA STROUD loves books. Like, really loves them. Authors, too. She once travelled over two hundred kilometres by bus from Daegu to Wonju in South Korea to hear Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o speak. She’s been reading Antjie Krog since the age of eleven, even the sweary bits. She moved close to Love Books so she’d never miss a book launch. Naturally, she’d become a writer, with stories appearing in Grocott’s Mail, Cue, WordStock, The Sunday Times, Books LIVE, City Press, The Reading List, Daily Maverick, The Johannesburg Review of Books, tagged! and Business Day, among others. When she’s not writing, she’s walking her husband, Sean, and two dogs, Raven and Poe, at the park. Who Looks Inside is her debut novel.

Karina Author, Book, Event

CROOKED SEEDS by Karen Jennings launched at The Book Lounge

Deidre, the “compelling”, in Hedley Twidle’s words, protagonist of Crooked Seeds by Karen Jennings, had her first official outing in her hometown, Cape Town, last night at The Book Lounge. The bookshop was filled with writers and readers who wished Deidre – this broken, fascinating, difficult character – well. “She is horrific,” the author said about her creation, “but I loved writing her.” And she emphasised that no matter how difficult certain aspect of the novel are to read, Crooked Seeds is her love song for South Africa, a country she cares about deeply: “I am in awe of our resilience, and the people who are saving communities, caring for others, despite all the failures of the officials.”

“She is a word surgeon,” Mervyn said of Karen in the introduction to the evening. She is indeed. And Dr Karen Jennings is also a hermit by her own admission, finding “all my writing a never-ending hell. At some point in my life,” she said, “I must have signed a contract with the devil. I asked to be a writer, and I was granted the wish, but I did not read the small print, which said: you will be a writer, but you will be in agony from now on.” Agony and all, she hasn’t lost her humour. And her exquisite writing is a precious gift to our literary world.

Thank you, Karen, for writing another incisive, stunning novel and for being the wonderful person you are. Thank you to Hedley and The Book Lounge team for all the incredible support. To all who were there: mountains of gratitude!

Dear Readers,
May Deidre make you feel, and think about our own fragility and brokenness. She is impossible to ignore …

Karina Festival

Karavan Press at the FLF 2024

The Franschhoek Literary Festival – 17 to 19 May – is just around the corner and it promises to be another exciting literary adventure. We are thrilled to be involved. You can listen to and meet Karavan Press at the following events:

FRIDAY

11:30-12:30 | [6] THE SOLACE OF STORY
OLD SCHOOL HALL
When the world is falling apart, a novel can help. John Maytham digs into the empathetic and cathartic power of fiction with Andrew Brown, whose new thriller, The Bitterness of Olives, is set against the backdrop of the Israel–Palestine crisis; and with Ian Sutherland, whose new historical novel Catastrophe deals with the Chernobyl nuclear meltdown of 1986.

13:00-14:15 | [18] THAT’S WHAT SHE SAID (Screening)
FRANSCHHOEK THEATRE
Natasha Sutherland’s inventive documentary begins by observing the making of a stage adaptation of Tracy Going’s book Brutal Legacy, in which she reveals her past experience of abusive relationships. It then documents the frank conversations that follow between members of the audience. A powerful social dialogue about men, women and violence.

14:30-15:30 | [26] GOOD THINGS IN SMALL PACKAGES
COUNCIL CHAMBERS
In an age of attention deficits, short fiction is in demand. Diane Awerbuck (Inside Your Body There Are Flowers) discusses the nuts and bolts of the form with three writers: Troy Onyango (For What Are Butterflies Without Their Wings), Frankie Murrey (Everyone Dies) and Dawn Garisch (What Remains).

16:00-17:00 | [32] TURNING THE TIDE
CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH
Anti-GBV awareness campaigns are not stopping the war waged on women by violent men. What will? How will the codes of South African masculinity be rewritten? Tracy Going (Brutal Legacy) speaks to Andy Kawa (Kwanele, Enough!) and Joy Watson (Striving for Social Equity).

SATURDAY

10:00-11:00 | [47] A HOME IS NOT A HOUSE (Screening)
FRANSCHHOEK THEATRE
Written by Lester Walbrugh (Elton Baatjies) and directed by Earl Kopeledi, this short film is a bold exploration of Cape Town’s class and race chasms – and the weight of personal histories. Three homeless people are tasked with retrieving a hard drive from a beachside bungalow. They stick around to luxuriate, but then it gets complicated …
Lester Walbrugh and Earl Kopeledi will give a short Q&A after the screening.

13:00-14:00 | [61] THE GRIM READER
CHURCH HALL
“No two people ever read the same book”, reckoned literary critic Edmund Wilson. Even so, a writer’s imaginary reader can become a singular presence — one that variously needs to be defied, satisfied, seduced or erased. 2023 Sunday Times Literary Awards winner, C.A. Davids (How to Be a Revolutionary) swaps notes on readers with Karen Jennings (Crooked Seeds), Ivan Vladislavić (The Near North) and Craig Higginson (The Ghost of Sam Webster).

13:00-14:00 | [64] SIGNS OF A STRUGGLE
HOSPICE HALL
Sponsored by Pam Golding Properties
Thobeka Yose (In Silence My Heart Speaks) tells Sara-Jayne Makwala King about her experience of parenting a transgender child – and of understanding her child’s attempted suicide. How can parents of teenagers recognise a crisis, and fight the transphobia that inhibits teens from seeking help?

14:30-15:30 | [71] IN THE THIRST PERSON
CHURCH HALL
Having good sex is apparently easier than writing good sex scenes. But that’s not rocket science, surely? Letlhogonolo Mokgoroane juggles the ins and outs of high-end lit smut with Busisekile Khumalo (Sunshine and Shadows), Joy Watson (The Other Me) and Kobby Ben Ben (No One Dies Yet).

SUNDAY

10:00-11:00 | [88] THE WRITE THERAPIST
OLD SCHOOL HALL
Sewela Langeni gathers three writers who have grappled with personal trauma: memoirists Thobeka Yose (In Silence My Heart Speaks) and Margie Orford (Love and Fury); and Megan Choritz in Lost Property, a work of fiction. Does the ordeal of writing a painful history dispel the pain, and how?

10:00-11:00 | [92] STUCK IN THE MIDDLE
HOSPICE HALL
Sponsored by Pam Golding Properties
Claustrophobic tensions drive the acclaimed new novels by Booker long-listed Karen
Jennings (whose Crooked Seeds proceeds from the discovery of human remains on a
family’s land) and Nick Mulgrew (whose Tunnel traps a random group of travellers in
a Cape highway tunnel). Both of these taut literary thrillers conjure unnerving versions
of South African reality. Karina Szczurek will ask them to dig deep.

11:30-12:30 | [96] HOW TO GRIP
CHURCH HALL
Being unputdownable is a delicious dream for most fiction writers, but a rare knack. Still, some of the narrative tricks that make for a one-sitting read can be acquired, as Danielle Weakley learns when speaking with Femi Kayode (Gaslight), Fiona Snyckers (The Hidden) and Nick Mulgrew (Tunnel).

For the full programme, click here:

FLF 2024

Tickets:

Webtickets

Karina Author, Book, Event

Last night at The Book Lounge: UCT Writers Series with Frankie Murrey and Bongani Kona

When introducing Frankie Murrey last night at the first UCT Writers Series event taking place at The Book Lounge, Sindiswa Busuku called Frankie a “worker of the imagination”. It is an apt title for the literary powerhouse that she is. Every time I listen to Frankie speak about her work – the curation of the Open Book Festival and her writing – I am inspired. Her words make me want to return to my own writing. The way she reads and actually sees the world, in books and beyond, is a true gift to the literary community. She was in conversation with the ever-thoughtful, funny and incisive Bongani Kona. Listening to them discuss literature and Frankie’s “distinctive” – as Bongani called it – debut, Everyone Dies, was an extraordinary experience.

Here are only a few snippets of what Frankie shared with the audience:

“I read compulsively. If nothing else is available, I will read the text on a shampoo bottle.”

“It’s amazing to see what is happening in this country moving onto the published page.”

“Everything I know, everything I am is through books, through reading and writing.”

“I’m interested in writing in such a way that anything I write about becomes accessible while still preserving the beauty of language; I’m interested in finding a simplicity that holds.”

“I love microscopes because they allow you to look at something in an intense way.”

Click here to buy Everyone Dies at The Book Lounge: Everyone Dies by Frankie Murrey

In March 2024, Frankie won the HSS Award for Best Emerging Author in the Fiction Category for Everyone Dies.

Karina Author, Book, Event

GOOD HOPE by Nick Clelland launched at 6 Spin Street

What an evening! The crowds gathered at 6 Spin Street to celebrate the launch of Good Hope by Nick Clelland last night.

Nick was in conversation with the wonderful Refilwe Moloto, who asked all the pertinent and intriguing questions and made us laugh.

Good Hope was written during lockdown. ‘It is my banana bread,’ Nick said. To bring the setting – an alternative, speculative present-day Cape Town that is the capital of a new independent country, the Good Hope Territory – he had to do some serious world-building. The result was a fictional Wikipedia entry longer than the one real South Africa has at present. But only excerpts from it feature in the novel. The rest is a fast-paced narrative about a handful of characters trying to make themselves at home in this strange, new – and eerie – world. ‘It is Cape Town, but it ain’t,’ Nick said.

It is a riveting read about what happens when ‘liberty is on fire’. Nick told us that he wanted ‘to poke the bear’ and examine the concept of freedom, even more so now when we are approaching the next elections. Good Hope does not give answers to difficult questions about franchise, privacy and agency, but is not afraid to ask them. ‘If you read this book and do not feel awkward at some stage, you are probably a psychopath,’ he said. ‘I wanted to shake things up, to provoke a conversation. Politics can and should be fun.’

Many questions from the audience followed, including one about what people in the Good Hope Territory do for fun … The usual, was the answer. But I doubt that they have such fabulous book launches 🙂

Thank you to Nick and Refilwe for the enticing conversation. To 6 Spin Street for hosting! To all who attended! And to our amazing Book Lounge for EVERYTHING!

Enjoy the thought-provoking read!

Karina Author, Book

Karavan Press title: IN SILENCE MY HEART SPEAKS by Thobeka Yose

In Silence My Heart Speaks

I show my scars now with pride because I survived. This is me owning my story, all of it, the good and the bad.

A searing and brave memoir chronicling the author’s resilience, compassion and growth as she moves from a childhood of trauma, through the challenges of dealing with the early loss of her beloved husband and becoming a single parent as well as subsequently accompanying her child on a difficult journey of self-discovery, to a life of acceptance and forgiveness. Thobeka Yose confronts the taboos surrounding mental health, abuse, betrayal and sexual identity with fearless honesty, kindness and understanding that will inspire countless others.

Foreword by Nancy Richards.

Publication date: May 2024

ISBN: 978-1-0672224-0-6

About the author:

Hailing from Bizana, Eastern Cape, THOBEKA YOSE cultivated a love for storytelling in the fertile soil of primary school. Initially drawn to the corporate world, she pursued studies in marketing and business. However, the allure of narrative proved irresistible, prompting Thobeka to embark on a writer’s journey. She has edited and contributed to publications locally and internationally. Prior to the pandemic, Thobeka’s repertoire expanded into the realm of audio storytelling. As producer of ‘Touch Down With Top Women’ for Top Radio, she captivated audiences across Africa and beyond with her year-long programme. The ink in her veins continues to flow. As Content Manager at Batazia, Thobeka empowers aspiring writers and publishers by facilitating the dissemination of their works on a global platform, encompassing diverse African languages. This role fuels her passion for language and the profound fulfilment it brings. Beyond the written word, Thobeka is a vocal advocate for women’s rights and a staunch opponent of gender-based violence. Her unwavering commitment has led her to address audiences at various women’s events. From the sun-drenched fields of Bizana to the global stage of storytelling and social activism, Thobeka’s journey continues to inspire and uplift.

Karina Author

Author: Thobeka Yose

Hailing from Bizana, Eastern Cape, THOBEKA YOSE cultivated a love for storytelling in the fertile soil of primary school. Initially drawn to the corporate world, she pursued studies in marketing and business. However, the allure of narrative proved irresistible, prompting Thobeka to embark on a writer’s journey. She has edited and contributed to publications locally and internationally. Prior to the pandemic, Thobeka’s repertoire expanded into the realm of audio storytelling. As producer of ‘Touch Down With Top Women’ for Top Radio, she captivated audiences across Africa and beyond with her year-long programme. The ink in her veins continues to flow. As Content Manager at Batazia, Thobeka empowers aspiring writers and publishers by facilitating the dissemination of their works on a global platform, encompassing diverse African languages. This role fuels her passion for language and the profound fulfilment it brings. Beyond the written word, Thobeka is a vocal advocate for women’s rights and a staunch opponent of gender-based violence. Her unwavering commitment has led her to address audiences at various women’s events. From the sun-drenched fields of Bizana to the global stage of storytelling and social activism, Thobeka’s journey continues to inspire and uplift.