It gives us great joy to invite you to the launch of Kerry Hammerton’s fourth poetry collection, afterwards. She will be in conversation with Finuala Dowling. A poetic event not to be missed!
Karavan Press title: The Frightened by Lethokuhle Msimang
In this lyrical, fragmented novella, Lethokuhle Msimang uses autobiographical and poetic interventions to lead the reader through landscapes of loss and longing, travelling between France, China, Spain and South Africa, to explore the troubled terrain of leaving and finding home. At once exhilarating, heart-breaking and haunting, The Frightened speaks to the complexity of relationships, the pain of love, the effects of trauma, the necessity and constant work of healing, and the unfulfillable wish to feel a true sense of belonging. It is the story of finding one’s voice amidst inherited violence, and the importance of art and creativity in that process.
Publication date: April 2023
ISBN: 978-0-6397-7484-8
LETHOKUHLE MSIMANG was born in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal. She graduated with a BA in Literary Studies and Creative Arts from the American University of Paris and an MA in Creative Writing from Rhodes University. Her poems have appeared in New Coin, Grocott’s Mail, Hanging Loose, The Paris/Atlantic and Stanzas, amongst others. She is the author of, Hubris, a collection of poems. The Frightened is her first novella.
Karavan Press title: afterwards by Kerry Hammerton
“afterwards is a thrilling collection that takes us in a series of lyrical bounds from the poet’s ancestry in Wales to her birth in England to the country and spirit animals she inhabits now. An exhilarating read.”
– Finuala Dowling
“In these provocative poems Kerry Hammerton probes with a ruthless acuity how society constructs and represents self and women. Her poems also explore the lived-in-ness of the body with its desires, its beauty and even its joys. Ranging from lyrical poetry to flash-fiction this experimental collection is richly satisfying.”
– Kobus Moolman
Publication date: April 2023
ISBN: 978-0-6397-2219-1
KERRY HAMMERTON lives in Cape Town, South Arica and has an MA in Creative Writing from Rhodes University. She has published poetry and prose in various South African and international literary journals and anthologies – including Living While Feminist (Kwela Books, 2020) and The Only Magic We Know (Modjaji Books, 2020). afterwards is Kerry’s fourth poetry collection. Kerry is a freelance tutor and supervisor on the Rhodes’ Masters in Creative Writing programme.
Find her at www.kerryhammerton.com.
Karavan Press title: A Crowded Lonely Walk by Sipho Banda
Life has taken a half-step forward, leaning against the history of my past
“This poetry collection depicts true stories of ordinary black people living in the supposedly ‘New South Africa’. Banda’s poems portray stains of colonisation even on the postcolonial times.”
– Kwazi Ndlangisa, winner of The Book Behind Award 2021 and the Sol Plaatje European Union Poetry Award 2021, and author of Collecting Self
“Sipho Banda’s poetry witnesses a variety of occluded and overlooked lives, often foregrounding rural existences and the precarious life of farm dwellers. He is able to describe and critique socio-political realities through poetry that is layered with gentle irony and laced with images which grip and map the reader’s awareness of the custodian.”
– Kyle Allan, editor of New Coin and author of House Without Walls and The Space Between Us
Publication date: March 2023
ISBN: 978-1-7764064-4-9
SIPHO BANDA was born in Himeville and grew up in Impendle, KwaZulu Natal. He is the author of Vusi’s Visit to Drakensberg Mountain, a children’s book published by Msinsi Press. His first collection of poetry, Ngigabe Ngezakithi, and a drama book, Umoya Wamagagasi, were published in isiZulu by Pelmo Publishers. Most of his poems in A Crowded Lonely Walk, his debut collection in English, reflect his own lonely and crowded walk.
Liberty Books launch of CAT THERAPY by Gail Gilbride
Join us for the Liberty Books launch of Gail Gilbride’s tender, beautiful, empowering memoir of confronting and overcoming a cancer diagnosis.
Gail will be in conversation with Christy, and Cleo (we hope).
Archie (the feline hero of CAT THERAPY) is happy for Gail, Christy and Cleo to take the spotlight for this one. But he is not excluding the possibility of an appearance at a less public celebration of this fabulous book (which is all about him, really).
We can’t wait to see all at Liberty Books!
Karavan Press and Protea Distribution become local distribution partners for Gail Gilbride’s memoir CAT THERAPY
WE ARE DELIGHTED TO ANNOUNCE THAT, TOGETHER WITH PROTEA DISTRIBUTION, KARAVAN PRESS IS THE SOUTH AFRICAN DISTRIBUTION PARTNER FOR GAIL GILBRIDE‘S MEMOIR, CAT THERAPY.
When Gail Gilbride is diagnosed with breast cancer, she experiences the full range of emotions. There’s disbelief, anger, confusion, fear, bargaining and, why, yes, indeed, of course she wants to talk to the manager! But then Gail settles on resolve. She’s ready to fight. Not only will she follow her doctor’s instructions and march with the big guns in the oncology centre, but she’ll also tip her helmet to her late mother’s inclination for alternative treatments. Gail is ready to give her body everything it might need to conquer the disease, recover and live a long life of joy. She nourishes it, meditates, exercises, rests, and explores parts of her consciousness she’s previously pushed to the far corner and ignored. Determined not to be a passenger, Gail hops behind the wheel and embarks on a journey like no other. What she doesn’t anticipate is that she’ll have a furry, ginger wingman for company.
Archie is the irredeemably part-feral tomcat who, when it suits him, moves in the same circles as Gail – and it suits him when he decides she needs the kind of therapy only he can give. In many ways, Gail and Archie are opposites. Where she’s amiable, he can be bellicose. Where Gail is gentle, Archie has claws. Where she is considerate, he is self-serving. And yet Archie brings to Gail camaraderie and healing in the dark hours when, alone, she cannot keep the dread at bay. He’s the remedy she didn’t know she needed.
PRAISE FOR THE BOOK
Cat Therapy is an anthology of diary entries written by Gail during her cancer treatment, which coincided with the Coronavirus pandemic. Emotionally rich and shedding light on one of the most challenging experiences anyone might encounter, it’s beautifully written with honesty, humour, playfulness and enduring optimism. Gail’s voice is warm, strong and true, taking us deep into the heart of a woman compelled to examine everything that’s gone before and undertake a difficult new journey. It also tells the story of the cat who raised a paw and joined the mission. – PENNY HAW, author of The Invincible Miss Cust, The Wilderness Between Us and Nicko.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Gail Gilbride was born in Pretoria. She is a middle child and despite playing with dinky cars in the dust, she developed a love for dolls, ballet and all things pink. These days she lives on the edge of the Hemel en Aarde valley with her human and furry family, where she swims in the sea, writes, gardens and dabbles in painting.
Gail holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Rhodes University and a post-graduate teaching diploma from UCT. In a previous life she taught English, Sound Perception and Communication Skills. She also used to dance and mastering the Tango is still on her wish list.
Her novel Under the African Sun was published by Cactus Rain in 2016, and it was selected as a top ten finalist in the Author Academy Awards competition (USA).
Cat Therapy is her unplanned memoir.
Publication date: March 2023
ISBN:
978-0-6397-5037-8 (print)
978-0-6397-5038-5 (eBook)
karavanpress.com 