Karina Author, Book, Festival

Karavan Press at the Madibaland @ BookBedonnerd Literary Festival

We are heading to Richmond again at the end of this month and hoping that many readers from across the country will follow. It is time for the Madibaland @ BookBedonnerd Literary Festival! Taking place between 30 October and 1 November, the festival brings together a wonderful mix of writers and readers.

Among the participants are Karavan Press authors Chantal Stewart, Kerry Hammerton and Holland House Books’ Andile Cele, whose wonderful debut novel, Braids & Migraines, we help distribute in South Africa.

THURSDAY, 30 OCTOBER 2025

11:30 ANDILE CELE

FRIDAY, 31 OCTOBER 2025

9:30 KERRY HAMMERTON

SATURDAY, 1 NOVEMBER 2025

9:30 CHANTAL STEWART

For more details and the full programme, see:

Madibaland @ BookBedonnerd Literary Festival

We look forward to seeing you all there!

Karina Author, Book, Festival

Karen Jennings and Andile Cele at the iLembe Book Festival – 25 October 2025

‘Reading is a Right, Not a Privilege.‘

The iLembe Book Festival (IBF) is a collaborative literary event that brings together readers, writers, and creatives from the iLembe District Municipality and surrounding communities. The festival features panel discussions, a school outreach programme, poetry workshops, and a slam poetry event, all aimed at fostering a deeper appreciation for literature and the spoken word.

This year’s festival is taking place on Saturday, 25 October 2025. Karen Jennings and Andile Cele feature on the programme. For more details, see: iLembe Book Festival.

Karina Author, Book, Event

UJW Women of Courage 2025: Thobeka Yose

Meet Thobeka Yose, author of In Silence My Heart Speaks — a powerful memoir of trauma, love, loss and ultimately forgiveness. From a painful childhood to the early loss of her husband, single parenting and supporting her child through a journey of identity and self-discovery, Thobeka’s story is one of strength, compassion and growth.
Hear her speak on Thursday, 23 October 2025, 09:15, at the UJW Women of Courage event.
Book here: UJW Women of Courage 2025

Karina Book, Event

COFFEE WITH KARAVAN PRESS

You are invited to the fourth 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, 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, 18 October 2025. Coffee and tea will be served. Karavan Press books will be on sale at great prices.

Karina Author, Book, Festival

Klara du Plessis at Woordfees

Talle tale

Beskrywing

Klara du Plessis (Act/Ek’t) is ’n digter wat tussen tale glip: die Afrikaans
van haar kinderdae en die Engels van haar volwasse lewe in Kanada.
Pieter Madibuseng Odendaal se huwelik met die Peruaanse digter Jorge Alejandro
Ccoyllurpuma het tot wedersydse vertalings in Spaans en Engels gelei, en
Pieter se Afrikaanse gedigte is ook nou in Engels vertaal en gebundel as a corpse is
also a garden. Die Vlaamse digter Frank Keizer lees voor uit sy werk, wat met
min moeite deur Afrikaanssprekendes verstaan kan word.

Aangebied deur Karavan Press, uhlanga, Jakes Gerwel-stigting

Datum en Tyd: 12/10/2025 | 16:00

Venue: EasyEquities Skrywerskamer

For details and tickets, please see: Woordfees

Karina Author, Book, Literary Award

The JDL Award for Poetry: honourable mention given to Land | Lines by Shari Daya

The inaugural AVBOB competition for collections of poetry, now known as The JDL Award for Poetry in memory of the contribution to the Poetry Project by the late Johann de Lange, took place earlier this year. The inaugural prizes (2025) were awarded for collections in Sepedi, isiZulu and English.

All of the 2024 single poem and 2025 collection winners are listed here: Avbob Poetry

The winner of the English collections category was Unleaving by Ingrid de Kok. Three collections were given ‘honourable mention’, among them Land | Lines by Shari Daya, published by Karavan Press. The other two were Night Transit by PR Anderson and The Book of Unrest by Nick Mulgrew.

Congratulations to all!

You can watch a short video of the prize-giving event that shows the prizes being awarded for individual poems (the 2024 annual online competition) and collection of poems competition here: The 2025 JDL Award for Poetry 

The JDL Award for Poetry in 2026 will go to collections in Afrikaans, isiNdebele, isiXhosa and Sesotho, and in 2027 to collections in Setswana, Siswati, Tshivenda and Xitsonga.

The next competition in Sepedi, isiZulu and English will be run in 2028.