The Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) is taking place in Morocco this year and Banyana Banyana are playing their first match in the competition against Tanzania tonight. South Africa won the Cup only once – in 2022. One of the women who lifted the trophy that year was Janine van Wyk. In 185: The Janine van Wyk Story as told to Firdose Moonda, you can read all about the successful campaign and Janine’s path to record-breaking glory as well as the incredible background story of South Africa’s women footballers’ quest to compete on the African continent and beyond, and to be counted among the best! Janine and Firdose will be in Johannesburg to celebrate the launch of the book – fittingly during the women’s month of August – and we hope to see you all at Love Books on 11 August for the occasion. Janine and Firdose will be in conversation with speaker, broadcaster and host of The Enhanced Pod, Leigh-Ann Paulick. Not to be missed!
Join Stephen Symons for a poetry reading at the Red Wheelbarrow Collective on 23 July 2026. Time: 19h30 Meeting ID: 813 6429 6708 Password: poetry Platform: Zoom
What happens when a book decides to talk – and fart – for itself? Farting in Outer Space turns bathroom humour into laughs while boldly celebrating the freedom to be whoever you are. Join the author, Nick Clelland, for a fun storytime at Wordsworth Books Gardens Centre on Saturday, 18 July 2026, at 11AM.
Mortality forms a thematic throughline in both Consuelo’s first novel, The Good Cemetery Guide (2005), and Lucienne’s debut collection of non-fiction essays, Except for Breath: Reflections on Image and Memory (2025). The authors’ mutual curiosity about death – and what it might teach us about love and longing – is differently explored in their respective genres. While Consuelo tells the story of a funeral director who leads a double life alongside the recently departed, Lucienne considers the ways art and literature have pictured and described ‘the only possible ending’.
Please RSVP by Wednesday 22 July: bellville.library@capetown.gov.za, 021 444 0300
Consuelo is a writer working across fiction, non-fiction and poetry. Her debut novel, The Good Cemetery Guide, was shortlisted for the Sunday Times Fiction Prize and the Olive Schreiner Award, and was recently reissued by Karavan Press.
Lucienne is a curatorial researcher and writer. She has contributed to leading local and international art publications and journals, and her essay collection, Except for Breath: Reflections on Image and Memory, was published by Karavan Press in 2025.
Please join an online masterclass with the Jacana Literary Foundation, presented by Anna Stroud, author of the award-winning Who Looks Inside, on Wednesday, 24 June, at 19:00 via Zoom. Tickets are R150.
Anna Stroud offers practical advice and exercises to help aspiring fiction authors tap into their hidden selves. Learn how to fight imposter syndrome by getting out of your head and into your work. Bring pen and paper for a hands-on 1-hour fiction writing workshop, followed by 30 minutes of reflection, sharing (if you want to) and questions.
Taking place in Cradock, Olive Schreiner’s childhood home, in the Eastern Cape from 18 to 20 June 2026, this year’s edition of the Karoo Writers Festival is hosted jointly by Amazwi South African Museum of Literature and the Victoria Manor Hotel.
The headline guest this year is Stephen Symons, whose fifth poetry collection The Algebra of Insignificance won the 2026 Olive Schreiner Prize for Poetry.
Catch him at the following events:
Thursday, 18 June, Victoria Manor Hotel, 19:00
AVBOB Showcase with music by ACCESS Music, featuring Stephen Symons, 2026 Olive Schreiner Prize Winner for Poetry for The Algebra of Insignificance & Clinton V du Plessis, AVBOB Afrikaans Poetry Winner, reading from his latest poetry collection, Maar steeds sal daar miskien.
Friday, 19 June, Victoria Manor Hotel, 08:30-10:30
Stephen Symons: ‘Why poetry matters … especially in the classroom’
Saturday, 20 June, Victoria Manor Hotel, 10:00
Stephen Symons: ‘The highs and lows of my writing journey’
Exclusive Books Cavendish and Indeed Books invite you to the launch of Jenna Mervis‘s exquisite second collection of poetry, Braided River, on Thursday, 28 May 2026, 5.30 for 6PM.
Our second children’s book is about to launch and we are aiming for the stars! Please join us at Exclusive Books Cavendish for the launch of Nick Clelland’s Farting in Outer Space. Nick will be in conversation with award-winning children’s book author Alex Latimer.
Please join us as we celebrate the poetry of Stephen Symons, whose The Algebra of Insignificance won the 2026 Olive Schreiner Prize for Poetry: Wordsworth Books Gardens, 21 May 2026, 5.30 for 6PM.
Together with Cheverells Farm and Liberty Books, we are delighted to invite you to the inaugural Elgin Poetry Festival in the stunning Elgin! Between 24 and 26 July 2026, Cheverells Farm and Liberty Books will be home to a series of events – discussions, readings, a launch and a workshop – celebrating poetry with all poetry lovers. The festival will commence with a Friday night fine dining & poetry evening and continue over the weekend.
Friday, 24 July 2026
18:30 for 19:00 Cheverells Farm: Friday night fine dining & poetry evening, featuring John Maytham reading words by Finuala Dowling.
An unforgettable evening of fine dining and poetry at The Cheverells Farm Shed as we celebrate the launch of the very first Elgin Poetry Festival on Friday, 24 July 2026.
Your ticket includes a welcome drink, delicious canapés, and a beautifully curated three-course meal – all enjoyed alongside a special live poetry reading by John Maytham, who will bring the words of Finuala Dowling to life in an intimate and atmospheric setting.
Proceeds from the ticket sales for this event will go to an NPO in Grabouw called Siphila Sonke. Funds will be donated to their Kids Club, which provides approximately 100 children a place for creative and academic stimulation in a safe and fun environment.
Workshop fee: R550. Tickets are limited. Please book early to avoid disappointment.
For visitors wanting to stay in Elgin during the Elgin Poetry Festival weekend, Cheverells Farm offers cosy cottages … soft linens, warm light, and peaceful farm mornings included. From 1 May 2026, book two nights and enjoy your third night on Cheverells Farm.
Slow down, breathe in the fresh air, and savour the simple pleasures of farm life.
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