Based on a story included in Dawn Garisch‘s award-winning What Remains, Knock Knock will be performed at the Masque Theatre on 11 and 12 April 2025. To book your tickets, click below!
Karavan Press Literary Festival 2025
We are delighted to announce that the fourth KARAVAN PRESS LITERARY FESTIVAL is going to take place on Saturday, 12 April 2025, at the wonderful South African Centre for the Netherlands and Flanders – SASNEV – 4 Central Square, Pinelands, Cape Town, 7405. Thank you to Eureka Barnard and the Staff of SASNEV for hosting us!
As part of the festival, Penny Haw, winner of the 2024 Philida Literary Award, will deliver the André Brink Memorial Lecture – 6 February 2025 was the 10th anniversary of André’s death, and on 29 May 2025, he would have turned 90. We will remember and celebrate together!
Also as part of the festival, Qarnita Loxton and Amy Heydenrych are offering a Creative Writing Workshop. For all details, please see below.
EVENT 1 09:30-10:15 LIFE AND LAUGHTER
Diane Awerbuck, Lisa Tredoux and Gail Gilbride speak to Nick Clelland about how to use humour in literature across the genres to address important themes that are not necessarily always funny.
EVENT 2 10:30-11:15 FINDING ONESELF
Sarah Isaacs, Anna Stroud, Kharys Ateh Laue and Lester Walbrugh talk to John Maytham about their young characters’ search for who they are and how they want to be in the world when the world is unwilling to cooperate.
COFFEE / TEA BREAK
EVENT 3 12:00-12:45 SECOND CHANCES
“Sometimes the only thing you can do to change is to leave.” (Qarnita Loxton)
Amy Heydenrych, Stephen Symons & Alex Latimer talk to Karina M. Szczurek about their characters’ opportunities for change.
EVENT 4 13:00-13:45
ANDRÉ BRINK MEMORIAL LECTURE
“Influences and Legacies” – PENNY HAW, winner of the 2024 Philida Literary Award
FREE ENTRY TO ALL EVENTS AT SASNEV!
~ ~ ~
WORKSHOP 15:30-17:30
6 Banksia Road, Rosebank, 7700 Cape Town
(Please note change of venue for the workshop!)
OPENING THE DOOR TO YOUR STORY
Join authors and collaborators – QARNITA LOXTON and AMY HEYDENRYCH – for an intimate, nurturing creative writing workshop. Get to the heart of your story, uncover the theme of your writing project and work through any potential blocks to your creative writing process in a quiet, encouraging setting.
Snacks and drinks will be served.
The workshop is open to writers of all levels, including beginners. Only 10 spots available. Please book early to avoid disappointment.
To book your spot for the workshop, please contact Karina: karavanpressfestival@outlook.com
WORKSHOP FEE R300
Books will be available for sale at great prices throughout the festival!
Karen Jennings at Time of the Writer
Catch Karen Jennings at Time of the Writer this year:
A Crime for our Times – shaping violence through story: This sizzling panel focuses on crime fiction from the pen of some of the best South African crime writers. We delve deep into the dark underbelly of society, cults and psychopathy, murder and mystery.
Date: Sunday, 23 March 2025
Time: 14:00
Duration: 70min
Participants: Fiona Snyckers, Marina Auer, Karen Jennings, Zukiswa Wanner
Facilitator: Angelo Fick
Venue: Alliance Francaise, Durban
Full programme:
Time of the Writer, 18-23 March 2025
Karavan Press at Books on the Bay 2025
Please join us between 14 and 16 March 2025 for Books on the Bay, a wonderful celebration of local literature and inspiration, now in its third year.
Karavan Press authors participating:
Saturday, 15 March 2025
10:15-11:00 METHODIST CHURCH
In the famous words of Lorrie Moore, “A short story is a love affair, a novel is a marriage.” Award-winning short story exponents Dawn Garisch and Diane Awerbuck discuss with Bongani Kona the joys and challenges of their relationship with the alluring genre.
13:15-14:15 METHODIST CHURCH
The art of memoir: Anthony Akerman, Lucky Bastard; Thobeka Yose, In Silence My Heart Speaks; Julia Martin, The Blackridge House. Led by Jo-Anne Richards, three leading exponents reflect on life-writing and the life-changing process of memoir writing.
Sunday, 16 March 2025
9:00-10:00 TOWN HALL
Karen Jennings – Crooked Seeds, longlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction
11:30-12:30 TOWN HALL
Andrew Brown – The Bitterness of Olives: In this remarkable novel set in Gaza City, Andrew Brown – current Sunday Times Fiction Award holder – explores a complex friendship battered by political forces. In conversation with Michele Magwood.
Johannesburg Festival of Women Writers (JFWW) 2025
Thrilled to be participating in the JFWW this year!
Looking forward to engaging with other writers, readers and publishers!
Join us! 9 March 2025, UJ Bunting Road campus.
Flash workshops with Kerry Hammerton
Kerry Hammerton, editor of In Other Stories, will be running a few flash workshops this year. Participating authors will have an opportunity to submit their work to her second anthology of flashes.
The first of these takes place on Saturday, 1 February 2025, at the Cape Flats Book Festival and is FREE!
A wonderful opportunity to engage with the form and to attend a great book festival taking place at the same time! The anthology Kerry is compiling will be published by Karavan Press.
Cape Flats Book Festival 2025
The first book festival of 2025 is just around the corner – Cape Flats Book Festival – and we are delighted to announce the following events featuring Karavan Press authors:
SATURDAY, 1 February, 10:45-11:25 | IN OTHER STORIES
SATURDAY, 1 February, 11:40-12:20 | STORYTELLING FOR CHILDREN
SATURDAY, 1 February, 12:35-13:15 | COURAGEOUS SURVIVORS: OVERCOMING A TRAUMATIC PAST
SATURDAY, 1 February, 15:20-16:00 | TRIBUTE TO POET IN EXILE: ATHOL WILLIAMS
Lester Walbrugh will also be at the Festival, speaking about the book he co-wrote with Karin Kortje – not to be missed!
SUNDAY, 2 February, 12:45-13:25 | DIE HELE STORIE / THE WHOLE STORY
For details about other events, please see:
Cape Flats Book Festival
Please join us for these two days of literary wonder!
Festival of Poetry 2024: 9 November at Bertha House
Please join us for the second day of this year’s Festival of Poetry at Bertha House on Saturday, 9 November, between 11AM and 3.30PM. Looking forward to seeing you there!
11:00 – 11:45
12:00 – 12:45
13:15 – 14:30
14:45 – 15:30
Karavan Press at Madibaland @ BookBedonnerd Literary Festival, Richmond Book Town
The Karavan is hitting the road and celebrating all things literary in the wonderful Book Town of Richmond at the end of October/beginning of November. It is time for Madibaland @ BookBedonnerd Literary Festival again and we hope to see many of your there.
Karavan Press titles on the programme:
THURSDAY, 31 OCTOBER 2024
| 08h00 – 08h55 | COFFEE & WRITING WORKSHOP WITH KARINA M. SZCZUREK |
| 12h10 – 12h35 | Michael Boyd, The Weight of Shade |
| 12h35 – 13h00 | Thobeka Yose, In Silence my Heart Speaks |
FRIDAY, 1 NOVEMBER 2024
| 08h00 – 08h55 | COFFEE & WRITING WORKSHOP WITH KARINA M. SZCZUREK |
SATURDAY, 2 NOVEMBER 2024
| 14h00 – 14h30 | C. J. Driver, Dayspring |
| 14h30 – 15h00 | Gail Gilbride, Cat Therapy |
To see the exciting list of all participants, click here: Authors
For the full programme, click here: BookBedonnerd Literary Festival
Festival of Poetry 2024
The first Festival of Poetry at Bertha House last year was such a success that many had hoped it would become an annual event. No one can predict the distant future, but we are happy to share the news that the second Festival of Poetry will be taking place at two locations and over two separate days this year:
19 October 2024 – FISH HOEK LIBRARY
9 November 2024 – BERTHA HOUSE
On 19 October 2024, please join us for the following events at the Fish Hoek Library:
Participating poets:
See you there!
karavanpress.com 