What happens when a book decides to talk – and fart – for itself? Farting in Outer Space turns bathroom humour into laughs while boldly celebrating the freedom to be whoever you are. Joyful, inclusive, and unapologetically funny. It’s a perfect read-aloud for families who want stories that make kids laugh and think.
A raucous, cheeky book with fart jokes and a simple truth: there are no rules about what or who you can like.
NICK CLELLAND wrote this book for his daughter, Elizabeth, when she was 4 – she’s 13 now! Nick lives in Cape Town, rides bicycles too much and writes books for all ages.
MARTA PUCCI is an Italian illustrator and designer living in Berlin. She makes books about big topics and tiny tots. When she’s not drawing, she’s near the water, saying hi to every dog she meets.
Please join us as we celebrate the poetry of Stephen Symons, whose The Algebra of Insignificance won the 2026 Olive Schreiner Prize for Poetry: Wordsworth Books Gardens, 21 May 2026, 5.30 for 6PM.
Together with Cheverells Farm and Liberty Books, we are delighted to invite you to the inaugural Elgin Poetry Festival in the stunning Elgin! Between 24 and 26 July 2026, Cheverells Farm and Liberty Books will be home to a series of events – discussions, readings, a launch and a workshop – celebrating poetry with all poetry lovers. The festival will commence with a Friday night fine dining & poetry evening and continue over the weekend.
Friday, 24 July 2026
18:30 for 19:00 Cheverells Farm: Friday night fine dining & poetry evening, featuring John Maytham reading words by Finuala Dowling.
An unforgettable evening of fine dining and poetry at The Cheverells Farm Shed as we celebrate the launch of the very first Elgin Poetry Festival on Friday, 24 July 2026.
Your ticket includes a welcome drink, delicious canapés, and a beautifully curated three-course meal – all enjoyed alongside a special live poetry reading by John Maytham, who will bring the words of Finuala Dowling to life in an intimate and atmospheric setting.
Proceeds from the ticket sales for this event will go to an NPO in Grabouw called Siphila Sonke. Funds will be donated to their Kids Club, which provides approximately 100 children a place for creative and academic stimulation in a safe and fun environment.
Workshop fee: R550. Tickets are limited. Please book early to avoid disappointment.
For visitors wanting to stay in Elgin during the Elgin Poetry Festival weekend, Cheverells Farm offers cosy cottages … soft linens, warm light, and peaceful farm mornings included. From 1 May 2026, book two nights and enjoy your third night on Cheverells Farm.
Slow down, breathe in the fresh air, and savour the simple pleasures of farm life.
The Franschhoek Literary Festival is nearly upon us and what a fabulous programme to look forward to again this year! Taking place between 15 and 17 May 2026, it will host many stunning literary events, with some food and music and other delights thrown into the mix. Three of our writers – DAWN GARISCH, ROGER LUCEY and SHERYL JAMES feature on the programme. Please come and join us for their and many other events. We look forward to celebrating the joy of storytelling with you.
Dawn GarischRoger LuceySheryl James
BREAKING THE FORM: EXPERIMENTAL FICTION
Friday, 15 May, 2026
11:30 – 12:30
Hospice House
Not all novels move in straight lines. Some fracture, circle or whisper. In this conversation, writers Dawn Garisch (The Consulting Room) and Rémy Ngamije(Only Stars Know the Meaning of Space) join Letlhogonolo Mokgoroane to explore narrative risk, structure, style and why some stories refuse to behave.
STORYTELLING AND SONG WITH ROGER LUCEY
Friday, 15 May, 2026
16:00 – 17:00
Church Hall
Roger Lucey’s music career was silenced by apartheid’s security police. In this intimate performance of songs and storytelling, he reflects on survival, rebuilding and finding his way back to creativity in the Breede River mountains, inspired by his memoir How to Build a House in the Mountains.
MOVING BEYOND LIMITS
Sunday, 17 May, 2026
11:30 – 12:30
Council Chambers
South African Paralympian, Sheryl James (Unbridling), has spent her life pushing past boundaries. She joins Africa Melane to reflect on defying expectations, silencing doubt and redefining the limits of human potential.
You are invited to the first Coffee with Karavan Press this year where you can chat to me, Karina, founder and publisher of Karavan Press, and likeminded writers and readers over a cup of coffee – or tea or hot chocolate, of course – about anything related to book-writing-editing-publishing-reading. Karavan Press’s home will be open, and I will be ready to answer your questions and discuss your projects.
No need to RSVP. Just ring the bell between 10AM and 12PM on Saturday, 9 May 2026. Coffee, tea and hot chocolate will be served. Karavan Press books will be on sale at great prices.
One of the most inspirational stories I have ever encountered, the remarkable memoir Unbridling by mother-daughter duo Sheryl and Sandy James, will be launched at Exclusive Books Cavendish on Tuesday, 12 May 2026, at 6PM.
Born cerebral palsied, Sheryl James spends the early years of her life arguing with the world and God about her disability. After a strange encounter with Him, she sets out to defy the possibilities defined for her by the crowd, experts and her family. When doors close on her quest to compete as a para-athlete, she abandons a dream she has secretly nurtured, opting instead for long-distance running against able-bodied athletes. With one failed and two successful Comrades marathons behind her, she resigns from her job to seek her real purpose. At the unlikely age of 33, longing to address the marginalisation of people with physical disabilities in rural South Africa, she is unexpectedly launched into the world of sprinting. Her trajectory is set for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. Perhaps her scary dream is, indeed, possible. With the odds already stacked against her, what more can life hurl at her as she pursues what most believe impossible?
Sheryl and Sandy James will be in conversation with Mpumelelo Mhlongo, whose triumphs earned him the Shield of Jove, South Africa’s highest sporting honor, awarded by President Cyril Ramaphosa. Beyond the Paralympics, Mhlongo is the reigning world champion in the 100 m T44 from the 2023 Paris and 2024 Kobe World Para-Athletics Championships, where he claimed gold. He has been named South Africa’s Sportsman of the Year with a Disability for two consecutive years (2024 and 2025) at the Regional Annual Sports Awards, a flagship event of the African Union Sports Council Region 5, among other accolades.
The Craft brings you the intimacy of a workshop with the energy of a live event. Hosted by four published poets with a wealth of experience in teaching and editing – Nikki Allen, Lexi Pelle, Carson Wolfe, and Melissa Sussens (author of Slaughterhouse, published by Karavan Press, and editor of our forthcoming poetry anthology).
In a landscape ripe with open mics and generative workshops, we offer something different – insight into the editing process and direct access to the craft of revision. No pre-reading, no homework, no lesson plans – we just show up and edit your poems.
Using a fishbowl style of teaching, as inspired by the renowned online poetry course, Poems That Don’t Suck by Megan Falley. We pull four names at random from the attendee list and live-edit these ‘fishes’ before audience participants, followed by a short Q&A.
Please join us at The Book Lounge on Tuesday, 5 May 2026, for the launch of the first (of many, I hope) book of plays that Karavan Press has published: Selected Plays by Louis Viljoen. Described as ‘one of South Africa’s most exciting playwrights’, Louis’s gripping writing is known for its intricate use of language and an uneasy intimacy that keeps audiences enthralled. Ten of his plays, selected by the playwright, feature in the book.
Louis will be in conversation with John Maytham, who as an actor has been working with Louis for many years and starred in two of the plays included in the book.
All South African writers who have not had a full-length book published are invited to submit short stories for an anthology to be published in South Africa and the UK by Holland House Books.
karavanpress.com 