Melissa Sussens will be reading at The Red Wheelbarrow Poetry Collective on Thursday, 9 November:
Click here to join the meeting: Zoom
Lumkile’s Book Joint: FREE BOOK EVENT
A wonderful event is coming up! The FREE BOOK event is taking place on Sunday, 29 October 2023, at Lumkile’s Book Joint.
Address: 32 Ny 22, Guguletu, Cape Town, 7750
There will be performances, food will be sold, and there will be traders as well. Most importantly, Readers will be able to get BOOKS FOR FREE (watch out for Karavan Press titles!).
Four writers will be honoured with the highest BOOK PRIZE of Lumkile’s Book Joint (SA) called BOOK CATALOGUE 2040.
From now on, Lumkile and the organisers envision the FREE BOOK event as an annual event.
All welcome!
The Bitterness of Olives launched at The Book Lounge
It feels impossible for me to capture in a few words what it meant to launch Andrew Brown’s The Bitterness of Olives at The Book Lounge last night during the present time when the world the novel is set in has been shattered and the consequences of that shattering are reverberating in the Middle East and around the globe. So I just want to express my gratitude: to Andrew, for writing this story and speaking about it with such integrity and compassion; to Mervyn, for bringing this extraordinary novel to my attention, helping us to prepare it for publication and leading the discussion last night; to all who attended, for listening with open minds and hearts; to the Karavan support network, for never underestimating the power of storytelling and -sharing; and to Adara, for trying to find the way …
Everyone Dies launched at The Book Lounge
We officially welcomed Everyone Dies, the beautifully crafted, mesmerising debut collection of short fiction by Frankie Murrey, into the literary world at the Book Lounge launch last night. Frankie was in conversation with Mervyn Sloman. To hear her speak about her love for the written word was truly inspiring. It made me open my own notebook with a smile today.
Thank you to Frankie, Mervyn, The Book Lounge and all Readers and Writers who attended. A wonderful evening.
During the conversation, Frankie referred to the alphabet as “a gateway drug”. The way she uses letters and words in her exquisite writing will make your soul soar. No surprise, Everyone Dies was the bestselling book at The Book Lounge in September. Congratulations, Frankie!
And to all the Readers who are yet to discover her work: Happy reading!
EVERYONE DIES by FRANKIE MURREY to be launched at The Book Lounge
Hearing Frankie Murrey speak about her debut, Everyone Dies, at the Open Book Festival last month was one of the highlights of the festival. It gives us great pleasure to invite you to the official launch of this exquisite book, and we hope to see you all at The Book Lounge on 16 October to celebrate the occasion. Frankie will be in conversation with Mervyn Sloman.
Glass Tower by Sarah Isaacs to be launched at The Book Lounge
Please join us as we celebrate the official launch of Glass Tower by Sarah Isaacs, the inaugural Island Prize winner, published by Holland House in the UK and distributed locally by Karavan Press. Sarah will be in conversation with the prize’s founder, Karen Jennings. Let’s give both a warm welcome at The Book Lounge!
The Bitterness of Olives by Andrew Brown to be launched at The Book Lounge
Hope to see you all there!
Karavan Press and Friends at Open Book Festival 2023
In their latest newsletter, The Book Lounge, wrote the following about Karavan Press:
Karavan Press is a small publishing house owned and run by Karina Szczurek, seriously punching above its weight. We are so grateful to Karina for publishing so many wonderful books that we thought we should shine a light on some of the books she is responsible for that will be featured at Open Book Festival:
Everyone Dies by Frankie Murrey ~ An exquisite debut collection of stories – I will be cajoling Frankie on to the stage to talk about Everyone Dies. – Mervyn
A Crowded Lonely Walk by Sipho Banda ~ In this riveting poetry collection, Sipho Banda delves into the daily happenings of the ubiquitous but anonymous working class, and restores dignity to those whose lived experiences so often go overlooked. – Belinda
Glass Tower by Sarah Isaacs ~ Glass Tower is the winner of the inaugural Island Prize for debut fiction from Africa.
Inside your body there are flowers by Diane Awerbuck ~ an incredibly versatile writer who returns to the genre for which she is best known – the short story – in this new collection which is nothing short of superb.
The Bitterness of Olives is set in Gaza and Israel and is Andrew’s finest novel. Empathetic, thought provoking, beautifully written with the pace of a thriller. – Mervyn
Striving for Social Equity edited by Joy Watson and Ogochuku Nzewi ~ an invaluable gathering of voices touching on the very real challenges facing South Africans today.
What Remains by Dawn Garisch ~ new collection of stories from one of our best-loved writers that deals with relationships, ageing and so much more.
Karina will be participating in a discussion about the future of publishing.
The Book Lounge
We are immensely grateful for the encouragement and support! And this is how we will be “punching” at Open Book Festival 2023:
Open Book Festival 2023 Programme
Watch out for Karavan Press authors and Friends (we are lucky distribution partners for Glass Tower by Sarah Isaacs and Cat Therapy by Gail Gilbride):
Book your tickets here:
Open Book Festival – Webtickets
Sindiwe Magona’s 80th
Dr Sindiwe Magona turns 80 today and on behalf of all of us in the literary community whose lives she has touched with her inspiration, wonder and wisdom, I would like to simply say: HAPPY BIRTHDAY and THANK YOU!
Together with compilers – Sindiwe’s daughter, Thokozile Sayedwa, and Nancy Richards – as well as all the amazing contributors, Karavan Press celebrates Sindiwe’s 80th with the publication of Sindiwe’s Gift, a collection of personal essays by only a few of the people whose journeys have been enriched by Sindiwe’s presence in their lives.
Yesterday, family, friends and Sindiwe’s Gift contributors gathered at Artscape to honour Dr Sindiwe Magona at 80 and to celebrate her own collection of essays, I Write the Yawning Void (Wits UP, 2023), as well as Sindiwe’s Gift as part of the Woman Zone / Artscape Women’s Humanity Festival MILESTONES: Celebrating, Supporting and Empowering Women of Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow.
The first copy of Sindiwe’s Gift was presented to Sindiwe by Thoko, who also praised her mother and thanked her for being her best friend. The all-woman marimba band Women Unite welcomed everyone with the warmth of their sound, happy birthday was sung, dancing occurred spontaneously, contributors said a few words, Nancy interviewed Sindiwe, the birthday cake was delicious, there was a lot of laughter and hugging, and tears of joy were shed.
If we could have bottled the energy of the occasion, it would have powered the country for the next decade. And if she were put in charge of things, Sindiwe would need only a tenth of the time to sort us all out. Her intellect, talent, compassion and generosity have no equals. It is impossible to put into words what a gift she and her work have been to all of us in South Africa, and way beyond.
“Wake up to yourself!” Sindiwe said.
Thank you, Sindiwe!
Gratitude to Thoko, Nancy, Woman Zone, Artscape and all who celebrated with us. Danielle Clough, thank you for allowing us to use your portrait for the cover, and Monique Cleghorn, for the beautiful design of the book! And thank you to all the Sindiwe’s Gift contributors:
Two of our contributors, Bergliot Dallas and Rosemary Gray, celebrate their birthdays with Sindiwe today. Happy Birthday to you!
All profits from the publication of Sindiwe’s Gift will be donated to Sparklekids, an organisation close to Sindiwe’s heart.
“Twenty tales about life’s great challenges”: Karen Watkins reports on the launch of WHAT REMAINS by Dawn Garisch
Kalk Bay author Dawn Garisch launched a collection of short stories, What Remains, at the Book Lounge on Thursday August 17. She was in conversation with Mignonne Breier, winner of the 2022 Sunday Times Literary Award for non-fiction.
Published by Karavan Press, the book of 20 stories has taken Dr Garisch, who is also a medical doctor, poet, playwright, film producer and teacher, 20 years to complete …
Continue reading: Sentinel News
Here are a few more images from the launch:
karavanpress.com 