Karina Author, Book

New edition of Byron Loker’s debut collection of stories NEW SWELL

Some stories can glue you to the page because of what they say, others because of how they say it. Byron Loker’s stories do both. His tales will ring true for all South Africans who have ever surfed, or sat with an old railway man or a car guard or domestic workers. Loker has a clear eye on ordinary daily life. He is funny most of the time, but often very poignant too, in these beautifully crafted stories.

Prescribed for English Literature Study Short Stories Grade 9 – Western Cape Education Department

Publisher (this edition): Karavan Press (first published by Double Storey Books, a division of Juta & Co. Ltd 2006)

ISBN: 978-1-7764064-2-5

Publication date: January 2024

Praise for New Swell

‘… modern-day South African Beat, easy to read, sharply observed, engaging, sad, but also very funny’ – Surfers’ Path

‘If the flat naturalism recalls Hemingway, other stories, in their deliberately straight-faced contemplation of horrors, recall Bosman’ – Sunday Independent

‘… wit engaged with the human condition at a deeper level of meaning’ – Sunday Times

‘… stories different from anything that has been written in English in South Africa – they are fresh, honest, off the wall but simultaneously clear moments of everyday life. At the same time they owe much in tone and style to the work of Herman Charles Bosman without being in any way imitative. It is as if the short story tradition, which was interrupted by the dictates of apartheid, has been resumed’ – Mike Nicol

‘Stories with a light touch which has the effect, as such touches at best can do, of dredging up certain shadows or resonances that go on resonating … very affecting – and stylistically – sure-footed to a fault’ – Stephen Watson

‘… a particularly gifted and dedicated writer’ – André Brink

Author photograph by Nic Mayger

BYRON LOKER has been called by fellow South African man of letters, Ben Trovato, ‘a talented writer who could go far if only he’d give up surfing and chasing women.’ He was once a film student but is now fully rehabilitated. His literary hero is Ernest Hemingway, as you can probably tell by these staccato sentences. He lives in the ‘deep south’ of the Cape Peninsula with a very sweet ginger tabby cat named Georgie Love and a pile of regrets, chief among them being all the women who got away from him.

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Karavan Stories 2024: Workshop and Anthology

After the success of Tiger: Karavan Stories 2023, be part of the second Karavan Stories anthology! We will meet again for a writing workshop at the end of April and together analyse what makes a good short story, read examples, go through a few writing exercises, begin exploring ideas for new stories and in the following months write, edit and compile an anthology of stories which will be published by Karavan Press.

WORKSHOP DATE: Saturday, 20 April 2024, 9:00 – 15:00

VENUE: 6 Banksia Road, Rosebank, 7700 Cape Town

PUBLICATION DATE: November 2024

FEE: R3 900

Includes: workshop, catering during the day of the workshop, guidance and feedback, editing, proofreading, 5 copies of the anthology and the option to submit your next manuscript to Karavan Press.

To book your spot, contact Karina: Karavan Stories 2024

If you cannot afford the fee but would like to participate, please get in touch. Two places will be available to writers who require financial assistance.

Maximum number of participants: 12.

Participants not based in Cape Town can join via Skype (maximum two).

FACILITATOR / EDITOR: Karina M. Szczurek is the author and (co)editor of numerous works of fiction and non-fiction, most recently two anthologies of short stories, Fluid: The Freedom to Be (with Joanne Hichens, Tattoo Press, 2023) and Tiger: Karavan Stories 2023 (Karavan Press). She won the MML Literature Award in the Category English Drama in 2012 and received the Thomas Pringle Award for a portfolio of ad hoc reviews from the English Academy of Southern Africa in 2018. She is a board member of Short Story Day Africa. In 2019, she founded Karavan Press, an independent publishing house, and a year later, established the Philida Literary Award.

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Karavan Press in 2023

At the end of last year, I knew for the first time in four years that Karavan Press would make it, that we were here to stay, and that we would thrive. But not even in my wildest dreams could I have predicted the insane year that we would have in 2023. For most of the twelve months, whenever someone asked me how many books we’d published or how many books we were still working on, I was afraid to count – I thought that if I counted, I would not be able to go on. It was only towards the end of November that I braved the numbers, and although we still had a few projects on the go, I went into a temporary state of paralysis and took a break. Personal circumstances (loss, real and potential, and complicated grief) contributed to the mental professional block, and I did let a few balls, or rather books, fall … But as the year comes to an end, after a short Festive Season rest, I am emerging from the exhaustion and plan to pace myself better in the new year.

In 2023, I worked with over a hundred different authors – mainly as publisher and editor, but also as mentor and friend – and as publisher, editor and distributor, I was involved in the publication of twenty-two individual books, two issues of a literary magazine (I resigned from all of my functions at New Contrast last year, but helped with two issues of the transition) and FLASH, a chapbook. We published seventeen books (three of them are debuts: Michael Boyd’s The Weight of Shade, Frankie Murrey’s Everyone Dies and Beatrice Willoughby’s So,) at Karavan Press in 2023, and one more is already printed and ready for release in early 2024.

A few of last year’s titles were nominated for awards this year: Joy Watson’s The Other Me, Lester Walbrugh’s Elton Baajties and Stephen Symon’s Small Souls. Additionally, Michael Boyd and Nick Mulgrew were nominated for literary awards with their short stories. Heartfelt congratulations, you brilliant, wonderful people!

Earlier this year, Héloïse Press, a Canterbury-based indie publisher of literary fiction specialised in contemporary female narrative, has acquired Breaking Milk by Dawn Garisch, one of Karavan Press’s first titles. Thank you to Aina and Catrina for making it happen. We cannot wait to see the UK edition make its appearance next year.

In August, we celebrated Sindiwe Magona’s 80th birthday with the publication of Sindiwe’s Gift (compiled by Thokozile Sayedwa and Nancy Richards), a collection of personal essays by people whose lives Sindiwe has touched throughout her illustrious career, and launched Karavan Stories, a workshop and anthology project that resulted in the publication of Tiger: Karavan Stories 2023. It was such a joyous project to work on that I decided to do Karavan Stories 2024 – theme to be decided by workshop participants. Watch this space …

Together with the Rosebank Writers and The Red Wheelbarrow, especially Kerry Hammerton and Melissa Sussens, we organised the Festival of Poetry, and it was such a gigantic success that it might return in one form or another next year. Thank you to Kerry and Melissa for your stellar work! Those of you who are missing the Karavan Press Literary Festival – have no fear, it will return with a bang in March 2024.

None of it would have been possible without the editors (especially Joanne Hichens, Finuala Dowling, Joy Watson), designers (Monique Cleghorn, Stephen Symons, Nick Mulgrew, Jennifer Jacobs, Tamara Isles, Luami Calitz), proofreaders (Nancy Richards, Mervyn Sloman, John Maytham), printers (Grant, Tim and Gavin of Castle Graphics – I know you moved mountains for Karavan Press – thank you; and Douglas of The Printing Press – what would I do without you?), distributors (Tamsin, Phil, Siya, Yaya, Nolu, Jayden – you all rock!), booksellers (special gratitude to Liberty Books, The Book Lounge, Love Books, Clarke’s Bookshop, EB Cavendish), festival and event organisers (a special shout out to Salon Hecate at Art Point Noordhoek and Woman Zone Cape Town), newspaper editors and book reviewers, literary award judges, and our amazing literary agent, Catrina Wessels.

I work with authors who are not only super-talented storytellers, but also good people whose presence in my life makes my heart fill with appreciation. Thank you to all of you for your words, creativity, kindness, understanding and patience, and for allowing me to share your stories with our Readers!

And tons of gratitude to our Readers! Without you, Karavan Press would only be a dream.

My deepest gratitude to all, but especially to John, Krystian, Mom, Joanne, Christy, Mervyn and Craig. Your support keeps me going against all odds, and those odds have never been terribly great for independent publishers … And yet, here we are!

If I forgot someone, please forgive me and know that my gratitude to all who have contributed to the wonder of this year is endless.

Happy writing and reading in 2024!

Ancient paths, new literary journeys …

Karina Author, Book, Event

The Bitterness of Olives launched at Liberty Books

We launched The Bitterness of Olives by Andrew Brown at Liberty Books last night. Andrew always knew that it would be difficult to talk about his latest novel which is set at the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but no one could have predicted just how topical the book would become. It was published in time for the Open Book Festival in early September, almost exactly a month before the 7th of October. Since then, the world the novel is set in has once again been completely shattered by violence and suffering. It has become even more fraught to discuss the novel in the context of our tragic present, but the way Christy Weyer and Andrew spoke about it last night was soul-restoring. Thank you both for your kindness, integrity and courage! Thank you for offering insight and gentleness at a time when both are deeply needed.

Thank you to all who attended, but especially to Karavan Press authors Lester Walbrugh and Joanne Hichens for your continued support!

Lester also baked fresh bread (best in the country!) for the occasion, and fittingly, we enjoyed it with olives. Thank you, Lester!

Lester also shared the good news with us that one of his stories from Let It Fall Where It Will has been turned into a short film which will premier in the new year, and that he has finished editing the first Afrikaans book that Karavan Press will publish, a memoir by Erika Viljoen!

Launching The Bitterness of Olives at Liberty Books was the perfect way to end a year of exciting book events. Thank you to Christy for being a champion of local literature, for inviting us to share our stories with the wonderful readers of Elgin and for leading the conversations that make us believe that what we do is meaningful to others.

Dear festive season travellers! If you are on the N2 in Grabouw, stop at Liberty Books for your holiday read fix. You will not regret it!

Karina Author, Book, Event

Salon Hecate’s 1st Birthday

Happy Birthday, Salon Hecate!

Last night, writers, readers and other creatives descended on Noordhoek Art Point to celebrate Salon Hecate’s 1st Birthday. It has been a year of inspiring artistic gatherings. Thank you to Helen Moffett and the Art Point team for everything that you are doing for the community! We all look forward to many more years of Salon Hecate.

Karina Author, Book, Event

Diane Awerbuck, Dawn Garisch and Frankie Murrey at Liberty Books

We launched three short story collections at Liberty Books last night: Diane Awerbuck (Inside your body there are flowers), Dawn Garisch (What Remains) and Frankie Murrey (Everyone Dies) were in conversation with Christy Weyer and spoke about the genre, about their individual stories and about what it means to be a writer. It was a magical treat to listen to the three amazing writers in the beautiful space of Christy’s literary cathedral, Liberty Books. Cleo made an appearance, of course, but decided to stay out of the Q&A action this time.

Thank you to the Authors, to Christy and to all who attended! Can’t wait to see you all again next week for the launch of The Bitterness of Olives by Andrew Brown.

Karina Book

TIGER: Karavan Stories 2023

Tiger is the result of the inaugural Karavan Stories Workshop & Anthology project. All the contributors gathered for a writing workshop at the end of April. Together, we discussed the intricacies of the short story, went through several writing exercises, decided on a theme for our anthology and began exploring ideas for individual stories. In the following months, we kept in touch, drafting and redrafting, until the book you are holding in your hands took shape.
The theme was inspired by a news story that dominated the headlines early this year: an eight-year-old tigress named Sheba escaped from a private farm in Gauteng and in the following days attacked a man and killed a few domestic animals before she was shot by officials. As it was impossible to safely contain and capture the wild feline in the area where she was eventually found, the decision was taken to euthanise her. Sheba’s death renewed debates around the injustice and cruelty inflicted on exotic animals held in captivity.
Touched by Sheba’s story, we chose her kind to inspire Tiger. Contributors could work with the theme in any way they wished, either reimagine it, see it as a springboard or a metaphor, or let their imaginations run wild. The stories which emerged interpret ‘tiger’ as the unknown, untamed or foreign in our lives – what we fear and what we long for, sometimes simultaneously. The authors play with phrases like ‘tiger mom’ and ‘when tigers smoked’ – the evocative Korean equivalent of ‘once upon a time’ – as well as wrestle with ideas, states and emotions which refuse to be captured in words. In their stories, they retrieve familiar fables and fairy tales to interpret the complexities of the present and speculate about the future …

Contributors: Lucienne Argent, ChatGPT, Gail Gilbride, Kerry Hammerton, Anna Hug, Desiree-Anne Martin, Karen Martin, Michelle A. Meyer, Warren Jeremy Rourke, Anita Shapiro, Caitlin Spring, Alexandra Wood

ISBN: 978-1-7764726-0-4

Publication date: December 2023

I would like to thank all contributing authors for embarking on this journey with Karavan Press: like the creature that inspired them, your stories purr, claw and pounce. A big thank you to Monique Cleghorn for the exquisite design of our anthology.
To our readers: enjoy!
Karina M. Szczurek
Cape Town, 2023