Karina Author, Book, Review

Nancy Richards reviews What Remains by Dawn Garisch for Woman Zone

Dear Dawn Garisch

I have just finished your book of short stories, What Remains. I am so sad. I am already missing my nightly fix of meetings with your panoply of thinking, suffering, worrying, reflective, ordinary-not-ordinary characters. Of stepping, albeit briefly, into their exquisitely word-painted lives, their shocking encounters, intriguing histories – in some cases deep into their hearts, their troubled psyches and relationships, in others, fathoms deep into their upbringings to touch on what makes them tick. Sometimes I could piece together the puzzle of their nostalgic pasts, and sometimes, at the endings, I was left wondering about their futures – their next steps, like sitting on the edge of a cliff …

Continue reading: Woman Zone
Karina Author, Book, Event, Festival

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

Karina Author, Book, Event

“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:

Karina Author, Book

Karavan Press title: What Remains by Dawn Garisch

In the beginning there is nothing. Breath stirring a blank sea. Vague shapes beneath the surface. An old blurred bone, a chiselled stone, clues in the midden.

There’s that deep feeling, the yearning, slow burn. Something incomplete or missing insists, lodged like a wedge. Something tugs, aligns, sets you facing a specific direction − discovers a woman lying in a road, another standing beside her dead mother, a man who finds salvation in a bottle, one who feels invincible, risking everything, and one who dies thirty years after an attempt on his life.

The writer traverses the dream, her fingers sleepwalking over the keyboard. Seeking momentary relief, the feeling of completion. Even as the hand lifts to write the first line, there is no clear idea of what will emerge.

Look around. You think we intended this?

Dawn Garisch journeys into the oddities of the human heart with a sharp eye and an edge of dark humour in this new collection. Her stories are vital and particular, her characters almost disturbingly human in their struggles – ageing, lust, loss, alienation – and their flawed relationships with each other and the world. Finely crafted, inventive, and satisfyingly twisty, these stories are a pleasure to read.

– Kate Sidley

Dawn Garisch, author, poet, playwright and medical doctor, writes about human relationships with extraordinary empathy, humour and courage. The twenty stories in this marvellous collection are no exception. Her medical knowledge, adventurous spirit and bold frankness shine through tales about life’s great challenges, from conception to death, while her playwright’s use of dialogue evokes the voices and spirits of her characters. These are stories to savour and treasure.

– Mignonne Breier

ISBN: 978-1-7764581-0-3

Publication date: 17 August 2023

DAWN GARISCH is an author and medical doctor. She is a founding member of the Life Righting Collective (liferighting.com), running writing courses. She has had seven novels, two collections of poetry, short stories, a non-fiction work and a memoir published. She has had five plays and a short film produced, and has written for television. Her poem ‘Blood Delta’ won the DALRO prize (2007); Trespass was shortlisted for the Commonwealth Prize in Africa (2010); ‘Miracle’ won the EU Sol Plaatje Poetry Award (2011); and ‘What to Do About Ricky’ won the Short.Sharp.Stories competition (2013). Her novel Accident was longlisted for the Barry Ronge Sunday Times Fiction Award (2018), and her novel Breaking Milk was shortlisted for the Sunday Times/CNA Fiction Award (2021) and will be published in the UK by Héloïse Press in 2024. Her second collection of poetry Disturbance came out in 2020. What Remains is her first collection of short stories.

Karina Author, Book, Event

The Invincible Docs at Blown Away by Books, Fish Hoek Library

Melissa Sussens (Slaughterhouse), Dawn Garisch (Breaking Milk) and Penny Haw (The Invincible Miss Cust) in conversation with Gail Gilbride (Cat Therapy) about women, creativity, the environment and science. Melissa is a vet and a poet, and her poetry is strongly influenced by the two roles she plays in her life. As is the writing of Dawn, who is a doctor and author. Penny’s stories feature remarkable women and illustrate her love for nature and animals. And Gail’s latest work of non-fiction is about a cat who helped her survive a frightening medical diagnosis. The work of these four writers speaks to the interconnectedness of nature, humans, animals, art and science.  

DAWN GARISCH, a medical doctor and writer, has published poetry, novels, non-fiction and a children’s book. She has had a short play and a short film produced and has written for television. She won the 2007 DALRO prize for her poem “Blood Delta”. Her novels, Trespass and Breaking Milk, were shortlisted for the 2010 Commonwealth Prize for Fiction in Africa and the 2021 Sunday Times Fiction Prize respectively. She won the 2011 EU Sol Plaatjie Poetry Award for her poem “Miracle”. In 2013, her short story “What To Do About Ricky” won the Short.Sharp.Story competition. Her second poetry collection, Disturbance, was published in 2020. She is interested in trans-disciplinary work in science and art, and between different art forms and teaches life writing and creative method courses with the Life Righting Collective. 

MELISSA SUSSENS is a queer veterinarian and poet. Her work has appeared in many publications, both locally and internationally. She placed 2nd in the 2020 New Contrast National Poetry Prize and was amongst the winners of the ClemenGold Writing Competition. She was selected for the Poetry for Human Rights anthology, Between the Silence, in 2021, and has been nominated for Best of the Net. Melissa has performed at the Poetry in McGregor festival, Off The Wall, The Commons and The Red Wheelbarrow, where she also hosts poetry readings. She lives in Cape Town with her wife and their two dogs. Slaughterhouse is her first book.  

PENNY HAW worked as a journalist and columnist for more than three decades, writing for many leading South African newspapers (most notably, Business Day) and magazines before yielding to a lifelong yearning to create fiction. Her stories feature remarkable women, illustrate her love for nature and animals, and explore the interconnectedness of all living things. The Invincible Miss Cust is Penny’s debut historical fiction. It was published by Sourcebooks in 2022 and will be followed by a further work of historical fiction, The Woman at the Wheel, in October 2023. Penny is also the author of The Wilderness Between Us, a contemporary fiction published in 2021 and Nicko, The Tale of a Vervet Monkey on an African Farm (2017), a children’s book. Penny lives in Hout Bay with her husband and three dogs, all of whom are well-walked. 

GAIL GILBRIDE was born in Pretoria. She 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. Gail 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.