Karina Prize

Great poetry news!

The shortlists of The 2024 Isele Prizes have been announced and the Poetry list features Melissa Sussens (Slaughterhouse, Karavan Press, 2022) and Kharys Ateh Laue (who has co-authored a collection of stories with Caitlin Stobie that Karavan Press will be publishing later this year). You can read their stunning poems here:

Instead Of Measuring My Life In Productivity | Melissa Sussens

Elegy | Kharys Ateh Laue

And: the winners of New Contrast‘s 2023 National Poetry Prize have been announced:

(Kerry published her latest collection of poetry, afterwards, with Karavan Press and Keith was the winner of the Short.Sharp.Stories competition last year and featured in Fluid: The Freedom to Be.)

All three winning poems will be featured in the upcoming issue of New Contrast at the end of April.

The 2023 judges were Sindiswa Busuku, Nondwe Mpuma and Sarah Lubala.

The National Poetry Prize sponsor is Bruce Jack Wines.

Congratulations to all!

Karina Author, Book, Event

Love, ghosts, stories, death and rooibos at The Book Lounge

Alex Latimer launched his brilliant short story collection, Love Stories for Ghosts, at The Book Lounge last night. Sam Wilson asked the questions, and there was no doubt how much the stories had moved him. The two authors spoke about the inspirations, facts and fictions behind the collection, and asked us to see the world in a different light, making us laugh in the process. We all face and fear death, but in his stories, Alex shows us that there are ways of thinking about death and grief that are astounding and life-affirming.

Thank you to Alex and Sam, to Guy Neveling whose stunning photographs illustrate the stories, to The Book Lounge, and to all humans and ghosts who attended!

Karina Author, Book, Event

Woman Zone Book Club with Dawn Garisch

Woman Zone Guest Author for April:
Novelist, poet, playwright, doctor and founder of the Life Righting Collective, focusing on the healing power of writing, DAWN GARISCH will give a talk on What Remains, her book of short stories which recently won the HSS Award for Best Fiction Short Stories. She will also be giving us some insight into the art and craft of short story writing.

Date: Saturday 13 April
Time: 10.30 to 12.30
Venue: The Woman’s Library,
Ground Floor, Artscape (next to Box Office) 

Donation: R30 for refreshments 
RSVP: hipzone@mweb.co.za before 11 April

Karina Author, Book, Event

Bad Luck Penny by Amy Heydenrych to be launched at The Book Lounge

Amy Heydenrych is visiting our beautiful Cape later this month, and we will be launching her latest novel, Bad Luck Penny, at The Book Lounge on 18 April. Amy will be in conversation with one of her Chasing Marian co-authors, Qarnita Loxton. A literary celebration awaits!

About the book:

IN THE WAKE OF HER beloved grandfather’s death, Lou and her family gather at their coastal family home for a long-awaited family reunion. The windswept and wild surroundings remind Lou of who she was before being a mother, a wife, and a professional failure. They bring back memories of Michael, her toxic first love and, according to the family, her ‘bad luck penny’. A shocking crisis in the country disrupts the funeral arrangements and forces the family together for longer than planned. As secrets rise to the surface, the threads of Lou’s life unravel and she faces a difficult choice – after all, it’s only a bad luck penny if you pick it up.

Karina Author, Book

Karavan Press title: Bad Luck Penny by Amy Heydenrych

About the book:

IN THE WAKE OF HER beloved grandfather’s death, Lou and her family gather at their coastal family home for a long-awaited family reunion. The windswept and wild surroundings remind Lou of who she was before being a mother, a wife, and a professional failure. They bring back memories of Michael, her toxic first love and, according to the family, her ‘bad luck penny’. A shocking crisis in the country disrupts the funeral arrangements and forces the family together for longer than planned. As secrets rise to the surface, the threads of Lou’s life unravel and she faces a difficult choice – after all, it’s only a bad luck penny if you pick it up.

Publication date: 18 April 2024

ISBN: 978-1-7764726-7-3

Kindle: Bad Luck Penny

About the author:

AMY HEYDENRYCH is a writer who lives in Johannesburg with her  husband and son. Her first two novels, Shame on You and The Pact, were published internationally, and she was a co-author on the South African bestseller, Chasing Marian. She has also published several award-winning short stories and poems.

Karina Author

Author: Amy Heydenrych

AMY HEYDENRYCH is a writer who lives in Johannesburg with her husband and son. Her first two novels, Shame on You and The Pact, were published internationally, and she was a co-author on the South African bestseller, Chasing Marian. She has also published several award-winning short stories and poems. Karavan Press is publishing her latest novel, Bad Luck Penny.

Karina Author, Book, Event

‘The Algebra of Insignificance’ by Stephen Symons to be launched at Wordsworth Books Gardens

“This poet is a gem,” says David Keplinger, and anyone who has ever encountered Stephen Symons’s poetry will understand the sentiment. The Algebra of Insignificance is as beautiful and intriguing as its title. Don’t miss this special launch at Wordsworth Books Gardens. Stephen will be in conversation with John Maytham. We look forward to seeing you all there!