The Smell of Blood & Other Stories by Caitlin Stobie and Kharys Ateh Laue launched at EB Cavendish

We launched The Smell Of Blood & Other Stories by Caitlin Stobie & Kharys Ateh Laue at Exclusive Books Cavendish last night. We spoke about storytelling in general and the short story in particular, about the creative process involved in collaborating on a collection of this nature, and the challenges and joys of writing about intimacy, sexuality, violence and coming of age in a country as complex and fascinating as South Africa of the eighties and nineties.

Thank you to the authors (you are remarkable!) and to everyone who shared this special moment with us (so great to engage).

A special thank you to Linda and the EB Cavendish team. Thank you for all your kind words and for championing our stories. We are deeply grateful for the support.

IN OTHER STORIES, edited by Kerry Hammerton, to be launched at Exclusive Books V&A Waterfront

This is an event that promises to be loads of fun! Please join us for the launch of In Other Stories, a collection of fiction and non-fiction flashes, compiled and edited by Kerry Hammerton.

Kerry will be in conversation with Nancy Richards and quite a few authors included in the collection will be present to read from and talk about their contributions.

Can’t wait!

RSVP: In Other Stories launch at EB V&A Waterfront

Land | Lines by Shari Daya launched at Exclusive Books Cavendish

We launched Land | Lines by Shari Daya at Exclusive Books Cavendish last night. Shari was in conversation with Nadia Kamies and spoke about inspiration, craft, place, belonging and freedom. She read her poetic prose and poetry and her words filled a stormy Cape evening with warmth and wonder.

Thank you to Shari and Nadia for the beautiful conversation. Thank you to Linda and the Exclusive Books Cavendish team for hosting the event. And thank you to all who attended, especially Shari’s and Karavan Press’s family and friends.

To all who couldn’t make it: EB Cavendish has a few signed copies of Land | Lines

Happy reading!

DOT TO DOT by Lisa Tredoux to be launched at V&A Exclusive Books

Our first children’s book (which adults will love too) – Dot to Dot by Lisa Tredoux – is going to be launched at the V&A Exclusive Books on Wednesday, 4 September 2024, at 6PM. Lisa will be in conversation with fellow actor and children’s book author, Bianca Flanders.

Join us for the event and stand a chance at going home with one of these Freckolion mugs!

RSVP: DOT TO DOT launch at V&A Exclusive Books

In case you are wondering who is my (Karina’s) favourite character in Dot to Dot … 🙂

The 2024 Sunday Times Literary Awards Fiction longlist

The 2024 Sunday Times Literary Awards longlists have been announced on Sunday, and the Fiction Prize longlist features four Karavan Press titles as well as one title we distribute locally:

Congratulations to Mike, Andrew, Sarah, Nick, Lethu and all other longlisted Authors!

FICTION PRIZE

This is the 21st year of the Sunday Times fiction prize. The criteria stipulate that the winning novel should be one of “rare imagination and style … a tale so compelling as to become an enduring landmark of contemporary fiction”.

JUDGES

Siphiwo Mahala – Chair

Mahala is an award-winning author, playwright and academic, with a PhD in English Literature. He is the author of the novel, When a Man Cries (2007), two short story collections, African Delights and Red Apple Dreams and Other Stories, and two critically acclaimed plays, The House of Truth and Bloke and His American Bantu. His latest book Can Themba: The Making and Breaking of the Intellectual Tsotsi (2022), won the Creative Non-Fiction Award at the SA Literary Awards. He is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Johannesburg, Senior Fellow at the Johannesburg Institute for Advanced Study and editor of Imbiza Journal for African Writing.

Michele Magwood

In her long career Magwood has worked in radio, magazines and television and for 20 years was the Books Editor of the Sunday Times. She is the winner of two Mondi awards and the SALA award for literary journalism. A sought-after interviewer at book festivals, she currently works as a writer and editor and assesses manuscripts for publishers. She writes a books column for Business Day Wanted magazine. Magwood has a BA Honours degree from UKZN.

Dr Alma-Nalisha Cele

Cele is an experienced doctor with a demonstrated history of working in the pharmaceutical & health care industry. She is skilled in clinical skills, quality patient care, analytical skills, communication, and medicine. She holds a Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery – MBBCH focused in Medicine from University of the Witwatersrand and a postgraduate diploma (cum laude) in medicine development at University of Stellenbosch. She is also the co-founder of The Cheeky Natives, a literary podcast primarily focused on the review, curatorship and archiving of black literature. In 2019, she was named one of the Mandela Washington Fellows to undertake a prestigious fellowship in the United States. She was also named one of the Mail & Guardian’s top 200 Young South Africans in 2019.

The Weight of Shade by Michael Boyd launched at Exclusive Books Cavendish

Nothing – not headwinds delaying flights, nor loadshedding threatening with darkness – could distract from the welcoming, warm atmosphere of the launch of Michael Boyd’s Cape Town launch of The Weight of Shade at Exclusive Books Cavendish. Readers, family and friends arrived to celebrate this mysterious, beautiful debut novel. Michael was in conversation with Penny Haw.

Thank you to Linda McCullough and the EB team for hosting the event. Thank you, Penny and Mike, for the fascinating conversation. And thank you to everyone who attended!

Kingsmead Book Fair 2023

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!

Happy reading!