Another highly successful Kingsmead Book Fair (KBF) is behind us. And we had so much literary fun! Joanne Hichens, Lester Walbrugh and I were on the same flight going up to Johannesburg. We all spoke at the festival – Lester and I about Elton Baatjies, and Joanne and I about Fluid: The Freedom to Be.
We ‘met’ Joy Watson and Lethokuhle Msimang at the airport on the bookshelves of Exclusive Books.
What is the best way of passing flight time? Reading, of course.
We joined Joy on the morning of the book fair and dived into the busy, amazing programme of this year’s KBF that had something to offer for EVERYONE.
Authors met up in the Green Room for refreshments and a bit of rest between the fascinating sessions.
Exclusive Books pop-up shop at the KBF. Two of our titles sold out at the book fair!
It was wonderful to meet Jarred Thompson and Lerato Moletsane in person – both contributed to Fluid: The Freedom to Be.
Thank you to the organisers of the book fair, to everyone who came to listen to us, to all who bought books and made the KBF 2023 such a joyous book fair. Already counting the days until KBF 2024!
Kate and Mike Boyd, The Wight of Shade is dedicated to Kate
St John’s College in Johannesburg is a magical place that looks like a dream setting for a novel or a film. The Weight of Shade is set in the Marico, but the novel’s author, Michael Boyd, teaches at St John’s, and the college generously offered to launch the book. The welcome we received at this 125-year-old institution was unforgettable.
The event was definitely one of the most memorable in the history of Karavan Press, and I cannot thank everyone who made it reality enough for their kindness and this incredible occasion.
Mike was in conversation with Frank Rumboll. The Rene England Auditorium was full of friends, family, colleagues, learners and other authors – Kurt Ellis, Lester Walbrugh and Craig Higginson among them. Thank you to the College and everyone who was present for their stunning support.
To all who bought a book, HAPPY READING! You are in for a magical treat.
This week, we had the great pleasure of welcoming Nick Mulgrew, currently based in Edinburgh, back in South Africa for the launch of his second novel, Tunnel. Nick visited Liberty Books and The Book Lounge to celebrate his latest offering with readers. Both events were truly special, and I cannot thank Christy Weyer and Alistair Mackay enough for their wonderful launch interviews. Warmest gratitude to the two fabulous bookshops that are homes to writers and readers alike. Also, a huge thank you to Michael Tymbios for designing, not only the stunning cover of Tunnel, but also the matching covers of Nick’s two short story collections, Stations and The First Law of Sadness, which we brought back into print at Karavan Press.
Here are a few visual impressions from the launches:
Liberty Books, 23 May
The Book Lounge, 24 May
Thank you to all readers/friends who joined us on these two occasions! Happy reading!
The Open Book Festival is running a workshop week between 5 and 10 June and two Karavan Press authors, Dawn Garisch and Melissa Sussens (together with her The Red Wheelbarrow colleague, Jacques Coetzee), are running a life writing workshop and a poetry workshop respectively. Please join them to hone your craft and be inspired!
Delighted to announce that Nick will be in South Africa soon, and we will be launching his new novel, Tunnel, at The Book Lounge and Liberty Books. We hope that you can join us for one, or both (!), of these occasions.
‘Melissa Volker found a way to obsess about surfing in any conditions – by obsessing about writing about surfing! A mid-life blooming writer and water woman from South Africa, Melissa’s delicious fiction blends “surf noir” with “environmental romance suspense.” (Check out the addictive Shadow Flicker!) In our pod, we chat about the coastal topography and bathymetry of South Africa’s breaks (get out your pencils) and she indulges my obsession with South African sharks. (Did you know you can get a gig as a Shark Spotter in Cape Town?) The South African waters are wild and intimidating, and though she grew up learning to paddle on flat water in an estuary, the ocean felt menacing to her well into her 40s. She still considers herself one of the most frightened surfers in her lineup, but she has braved sharks, orcas (!!!) and kilometers of open water on paddleboards, SUP’s and longboards. She credits a community group focused on supporting women for getting her off the beach and into the lineup. She also finds inspiration, and courage, in books and courses on surfing, the ocean, and, yes, sharks. Recognizing how her own life has transformed from surfing, feeling “older, but stronger, happier, braver, and stoked” she created Saltwater Sisters with her BFF to share their love and stoke and to empower other women to experience the joy they have found themselves. Melissa wraps up with one of my fave pieces of advice so far: “Get to know the ocean, because not every day is your day.”’
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