At the Cape Town Book Sale at The Avenue, V&A Waterfront this weekend. 9- 10 am Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Bargain Books, Wordsworth Books, Books 24/7, Wilstan Books, Hargrave Library Suppliers and Caxton Books will be selling a huge selection of multilingual, multi-cultural books from all genres that will appeal to all book lovers at the lowest prices available in Cape Town. Tickets will cost R25 per person and kids under 12 are free.
The first authors have been announced for the seventh Open Book Festival and you can have the chance to play a part in it.
Brought to you by the Book Lounge and The Fugard Theatre, Open Book Festival will be presented from 6 to 10 September, once again offering a world-class selection of book launches, panel discussions, workshops, masterclasses, readings, performances and more. The event, which also includes the popular Comics Fest, #cocreatePoetica, children’s and outreach programmes, takes place at The Fugard Theatre, District Six Homecoming Centre and The Book Lounge in Cape Town.
Open Book Festival has established itself as one of South Africa’s most innovative and leading book festivals. Last year, nearly 10 000 people attended the Festival’s 125 events featuring 251 authors and it has been shortlisted twice for the London Book Fair Excellence Awards. It is committed to creating a platform to celebrate South African writers, as well as hosting top international authors. The Festival strives to instill an interest in and love of reading among young attendees, while the programme is designed to engage, entertain and inspire conversations among Festival goers long after the event.
“In addition to announcing the first round of incredible international authors for Open Book Festival 2017, we are inviting people to help be a part of it and launching a Thundafund campaign for this year’s festival,” says Festival Director Mervyn Sloman.
“Anyone who works on major events will have an understanding of the budgetary challenges and current financial climate that are part and parcel of the sector. Open Book is no different and while we continue to work with key sponsors, we are inviting people who recognise the value of the festival to get involved and support us, so we can retain our independence and continue to put on an event of the scale and calibre visitors have come to expect. You can support the campaign for as little as R100 and every Rand makes a difference.”
To contribute visit www.thundafund.com/project/openbookfestival
“We are excited to be announcing our first round of international authors and have again compiled a useful guide of their books so you can start reading now.”
Author: Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀ (Nigeria)
Books include: Stay With Me
Why we’re excited: Ayọ̀bámi was shortlisted for the 2017 Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction. In 2015, she was listed by the Financial Times as one of the bright stars of Nigerian literature. She has been a writer in residence at numerous institutions and she was shortlisted for the Miles Morland Scholarship in 2014 and 2015.
Author: Paul Beatty (USA)
Books include: Slumberland, Tuff, The White Boy Shuffle and The Sellout. Also poetry book Big Bank Take Little Bank and Joker, Joker, Deuce. Editor of Hokum: An Anthology of African-American Humor
Why we’re excited: The current Man Booker Winner for The Sellout.
Author: Maylis de Kerangal (France. Attending thanks to the support of IFAS)
Books include: Mend the Living, Birth of a Bridge; the novella Tangentevers l’est
Why we’re excited: Mend the Living was longlisted for the Man Booker International Prize 2016 and won the Wellcome Book Prize 2017.
Author: Petina Gappah (Zimbabwe)
Books include: The Book of Memory and short story collections An Elegy for Easterly and Rotten Row
Why we’re excited: An Elegy for Easterly won the Guardian First Book Prize in 2009.
Author: Nathan Hill (USA)
Books include:The Nix
Why we’re excited: Hill’s debut novel The Nix was named one of the year’s best books by The New York Times, The Washington Post, NPR, Slate and Amazon, among others. It was also the L.A. Times Book Prize for First Fiction and will be published worldwide in 30 languages.
Author: Elina Hirvonen (Finland. Attending thanks to the support of the Embassy of Finland)
Books include:When I Forgot, Farthest from Death, When Time Runs Out
Why we’re excited: This acclaimed author, journalist and documentary filmmakerhas had her work translated into seven languages.When Time Runs Out was chosen as ‘The Most Important Book of the Year 2015’ in a project by the Finnish Broadcasting Company.
Author: Scaachi Koul (Canada. Attending thanks to the support of Canada Council for the Arts)
Books include: Her debut collection of essays inOne Day We’ll All Be Dead and None of This Will Matter
Why we’re excited: A culture writer for BuzzFeed, Scaachi’s writing has also appeared in The New Yorker, The Hairpin, The Globe and Mail, and Jezebel.
Author: Ali Land (UK)
Books include:Good Me Bad Me
Why we’re excited: Good Me Bad Me has been translated into over twenty languages. After graduating from university with a degree in Mental Health, Ali Land spent a decade working as a Child and Adolescent Mental Health nurse in hospitals and schools in the UK and Australia.
Author: Ken Liu (USA)
Books include:The Grace of Kings, The Wall of Storms,The Paper Menagerie
Why we’re excited: Liu’s short stories have won a Nebula, two Hugos, a World Fantasy Award and a Science Fiction & Fantasy Translation Award. His short story, The Paper Menagerie, was the first work of fiction to win all threemajor science fiction awards, the Hugo, the Nebula and the World Fantasy Award.
Author: Fiston Mwanza Mujila (DRC. Attending thanks to the support of the Goethe Institut)
Books include: Tram 83
Why we’re excited: His writing has been awarded numerous prizes, including the Prix du Monde and he was longlisted for MB International
Author: Chibundu Onuzo (Nigeria)
Books include:The Spider King’s Daughter,Welcome to Lagos
Why we’re excited: The Spider King’s Daughter was shortlisted for the Dylan Thomas Prize and the Commonwealth Book Prize, and was longlisted for the Desmond Elliott Prize and the Etisalat Prize for Literature.
Author: Malin Persson Giolito (Sweden. Attending thanks to the support of The Embassy of Sweden)
Books include:Quicksand, the first of her novels to be translated into English
Why we’re excited: A former laywer, her novel Quicksand wasawarded the Best Crime Novel of the Year Award 2016, Sweden’s official suspense literature award, which is given by the Swedish Crime Writers’ Academy.
Author: Carl Frode Tiller (Norway. Attending thanks to support from NORLA)
Books include:TheEncircling trilogy, Skråninga (The Slope)
Why we’re excited: His awards includethe European Union Prize for Literature and Nordic Critics Prize. His Encircling trilogy has been twice nominated for the Nordic Council’s Prize. The trilogy is considered one of the great contemporary portraits of Nordic life. It has been adapted for the theatre and published in eighteen languages.
Author: Iman Verjee
Books include:Who will Catch us as we Fall, In Between Dreams,
Why we’re excited: Winner of the2012 Peters Fraser & Dunlop/City University Prize for Fiction for her debut novel In Between Dreams.
Author: Alex Wheatle (UK)
Books include:Crongton Knights, Liccle Bit, Brixton Rock, East of Acre Lane, The Seven Sisters, Island Songs, Checkers, The Dirty South
Why we’re excited: Known as ‘the Brixton Bard’ Alex was awarded an MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list for services to literature in 2008. He is UK’s most read Black British author, with his books on school reading lists, he takes part in Black History Month every year, works with Booktrust and the Children’s Discovery Centre to promote reading and represents English PEN. Crongton Knights won the Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize 2016.
Author: Zoe Whittall (Canada. Attending thanks to support from Canada Council for the Arts)
Books include:The Best Kind of People, Holding Still for as Long as Possible
Why we’re excited: This award-winning Canadian author won a Lambda Literary award, was shortlisted for the Relit award, and was an American Library Association’s Stonewall Honor Book for Holding Still for as Long as Possible. She has also published three books of poetry.
The final programme will be available in early August, at which point bookings can be made at Webtickets www.webtickets.co.za
The seventh Open Book Festival will take place from 6 to 10 September at The Fugard Theatre, D6 Homecoming Centre, The Book Lounge and (Other venue), from 10:00 to 21:00 each day. For further information visit www.openbookfestival.co.za
For more information about and to support the Thundafund campaign, visit www.thundafund.com/project/openbookfestival
The Open Book Festival is made possible thanks to the support of its sponsors and partners: Leopard’s Leap, The Fugard Theatre, The District Six Museum, Open Society Foundation, Kingdom of the Netherlands, City of Cape Town, Townhouse Hotel, Penguin Random House, NB Publishers, Jonathan Ball Publishers, Pan Macmillan Publishers, The French Institute of South Africa, The Canada Council for the Arts, NORLA, the Embassy of Finland, the Embassy of Sweden, Dutch Foundation for Literature, PEN SA and the Goethe-Institut.
Exclusive Books has unveiled its selection of fiction, non-fiction, cookery and children’s books for its annual Homebru campaign.
This year’s slogan is ‘books by us, written for you’ – and there are nearly fifty titles on offer.
The books represent a slice of South African writing and life, from thrilling speculative fiction (Fred Strydom’s The Inside-Out Man) to on-the-money political analysis (Pieter-Louis Myburgh’s The Republic of Gupta) to bright and captivating cookery and children’s books (Khanyisa Malabi’s Legacy of Living and Sparkles of Taste and Carol-Ann Davids’ The Hair Fair).
Fanatics members get double points on all Homebru titles from 1 to 30 June.
Be sure to keep an eye out for competitions and live author Q&A sessions on Exclusive Books’s social media.
As one of the world’s top philanthropists, perhaps it makes sense that Bill Gates is treating beach reading like an intellectual cause: Each year, he offers up his list of the most important beach reads, none of which have ever featured Fabio on the cover. But this does have Trevor Noah.
“Summer is a great time to escape: to the beach, to the mountains, or to the world of a great book. This year, I found myself drawn even more than usual to books that took me outside (and I don’t mean the great outdoors). The books on this year’s summer reading list pushed me out of my own experiences, and I learned some things that shed new light on how our experiences shape us and where humanity might be headed.
Some of these books helped me better understand what it’s like to grow up outside the mainstream: as a child of mixed race in apartheid South Africa, as a young man trying to escape his impoverished life in rural Appalachia, or as the son of a peanut farmer in Plains, Georgia. I hope you’ll find that others make you think deeper about what it means to truly connect with other people and to have purpose in your life. And all of them will transport you somewhere else—whether you’re sitting on a beach towel or on your own couch.” See Gates’ full list on his blog Gatesnotes here.
From political, critical and topical, to inspiring, fantastical and beautiful – Franschhoek Literary Festival (FLF) 2017 promises treasures for visitors and writers alike
FLF has always been known for its palette of politics, literacy, literature, humour, creativity, controversy and contrast. This year is no exception, with 150-plus authors from Nigeria, Kenya, the UK, New Zealand, Botswana, Israel – and of course South Africa – sharing their talent, wit and insights across 105 events over three jam-packed days.
Who should be there? Everyone who loves to read, write, debate, listen, mingle with literary rock stars and newbies, drink great wine and eat great food.
Things to note:
• The Franschhoek Literary Festival runs from Friday 19 May – Sunday 21 May 2017, 10am-6pm
• Once again, Exclusive Books will be setting up shop in the Town Hall, including a special space for children’s reading and entertainment
• The festival organisers have heeded the requests of day-trippers to ensure that the Sunday programme is as exciting as the rest of the festival
• Tickets are available from www.webtickets.co.za and in the Town Hall foyer
• There’s a huge variety of food sellers and eateries in the village, catering for all tastes and budgets
Here’s just a taster of what not to miss. (Find the full programme on www.flf.co.za.)
In Measuring the rift, Rebecca Davis asks journalist and agricultural economist Tracy Ledger and international relations and African diplomacy scholar Oscar van Heerden how far we are from equality, and what it looks like.
Rattling the cage of discrimination invites Sifiso Ndlovu, Anastacia Tomson, Griffin Shea and Marianne Thamm to interrogate the systems that divide South Africans, and how we can dismantle them.
Hawk’s eye view. General Johan Booysen and author Jessica Pitchford share his side of the story in this shocking true tale of power and politics, deceit and betrayal. Peter Bruce is in the chair.
In Spy vs spy SAfm’s Nancy Richards, Jonathan Ancer and Bridget Hilton-Barber talk of writing about some of the villains and heroes of our recent history.
Killer women has Joanne Hichens asking crime writers Irna van Zyl, Karin Brynard and Sally Andrew about the role of women in detective and crime fiction.
Authors in conversation. Michiel Heyns and SJ Naude discuss their writing, their new books and what it means to be a professional author.
For everyone who’s ever wanted to be a writer: Love reading, love writing in which Joanne Hichens speaks to Nandipha Tshabane, Ndibulele Sotondoshe and Sicelo Kula about how their writing came to be published.
In Why are we still talking genre? Fred Strydom leads the conversation with Steven Boykey Sidley, Lesley Pearse and Richard Mason as they discuss labels, boxes and literature.
Are writers born or made? Bronwyn Law-Viljoen considers the ways writers find to practice their craft, with Ekow Duker, Miranda Sherry and Sindiwe Magona.
World building explores where writers start when creating a fictional world. Pamela Power exchanges ideas about the creative impetus, the lifeblood of storytelling, with Marcus Low and Qarnita Loxton.
I started writing when…: Tamara LePine-Williams takes novelists Neil Sonnekus, Marita van der Vyver and Richard Mason back to the beginning.
Playing with words explores the rules of writing, and how to break them: Sue de Groot tests the boundaries of poets Blaq Pearl and Shirmoney Rhode and novelist Claire Robertson.
Is it hard writing for easy reading? The best writers make it seem effortless, but how much mental sweat goes into achieving this end? Alison Lowry asks two very different authors: Lesley Pearse and Rian Malan.
The stories of history How do we understand our human past? Historian Bill Nasson asks researcher Christa Kuljian, Francis Wilson and novelist Harry Kalmer about searching for truth through science and fiction.
In Straddling worlds Wamuwi Mbao delves into stories of families with feet in the present and past, as told by Ekow Duker and Sindiwe Magona.
Mastering the past with historian Bill Nasson, Fred Khumalo, Philippe Sands and Tim Butcher as they consider the challenges and obligations of understanding the past.
Lesley Pearse in her own words has bestselling romance writer Lesley Pearse in a rollicking discussion with Jenny & Co bookclub founder Jenny Crwys-Williams.
Don’t miss An appetite for success in which Tamara LePine-Williams (ClassicFM) peels back the layers of Groendal’s own Reuben Riffel and his author Sam Woulidge to reveal this remarkable ‘local to legend’ story.
Sophie Hannah in her own words. Travel writer and shameless Agatha Christie fan Darrel Bristow-Bovey finds out more about crime writer and the new voice of Hercule Poirot, Sophie Hannah.
Enquiries:
Media: Sarah Browne, media liaison bellumcreative@gmail.com
Programme: Shelagh Foster, festival director shelagh@cybersmart.co.za
On the ground: Sheenagh Tyler, festival manager, info@flf.co.za
Follow FLF on Facebook and Twitter.
At Cape Town’s ‘FIRST’ Book Sale a large number of local bookshops will all be under one roof at one time with the sole objective of selling a huge selection of multilingual, multi-cultural books that will appeal to all book lovers, at the lowest prices available in Cape Town to the general public. On offer will be amongst others: popular fiction/non-fiction; hardcovers/paperbacks; English/ Afrikaans/Other languages; Academic; Christian and Children’s books.
The Cape Town Book Sale to be held at The Avenue, V&A Waterfront from 16th to 18th June 2017, will be a consumer event, run under the auspices of The South African Booksellers Association.
To date we have Bargain Books, Wordsworth Books, Books 24/7, Wilstan Books, Hargraves Library Services and Caxton Books are also on board. The V&A Waterfront Head Office has also committed to promote the event across all its platforms and the Aquarium are supporting the event by promoting the event to its 13000 members, putting on a puppet show and selling their book series there as well. Webtickets is promoting the event to all their smart shoppers and via their newsletter. We will also have coffee and snacks stations available for the browsers.
This study was commissioned and managed by the South African Book Development Council as part of the Growth and Development Strategy for the South African Book Sector.
The nature of its efforts rests on acquiring a full understanding of the reading habits of adult South Africans. This report describes the findings of robust research that uncovered these reading habits amongst adults from a variety of angles with a view to, on the one hand, find change, if any, in patterns of reading behaviour and, on the other hand, inform strategy for the SABDC to meet its core objective of increasing access to books.
Exhibit at the South African Book Fair, 8 – 10 September 2017, Museum Africa, Newtown, Johannesburg. The SABDC invites registered SMME publishers to apply for the exhibition subsidy. The SABDC encourages SMME publishers and entrepreneurs in the book sector to participate in the annual national book fair.
The South African Book Development Council (SABDC) in association with Publishers’ Association of South Africa (PASA) and the Fibre Processing & Manufacturing Seta (FP&M Seta) have the intention to utilize the SABF, as a platform to increase access to mainstream opportunities.
Through the SABF exhibitor subsidies, it aims to encourage SMME publishers’ and entrepreneurs in the book sector to participate in the annual national book fair.
The Enterprise Development Programme supports greater growth in the South African book sector, as it forms part of a broader SABDC growth strategy and BBBEE. It aim is to ensure creation and production of high quality books, through diverse players that meet the needs of all South Africans.
The SABDC invites registered publishers to join us and exhibit at SABF – 8th – 10th September 2017 – Museum Africa – Lilian Ngoyi Str, Newtown, Johannesburg.
Application forms are available from the SABDC offices at 021-914-8626/7, sabookfair@sabookcouncil.co.za
Held every year on 21 March, World Poetry Day celebrates one of humanity’s most treasured forms of cultural and linguistic expression and identity. Practiced throughout history – in every culture and on every continent – poetry speaks to our common humanity and our shared values, transforming the simplest of poems into a powerful catalyst for dialogue and peace.
UNESCO first adopted 21 March as World Poetry Day during its 30th General Conference in Paris in 1999, with the aim of supporting linguistic diversity through poetic expression and increasing the opportunity for endangered languages to be heard.
World Poetry Day is the occasion to honour poets, revive oral traditions of poetry recitals, promote the reading, writing and teaching of poetry, foster.
Poetry for Life has a wonderful list of South African poets and poems that will inspire this international poetry day.
Nairobi based BRCK Education is a winner of the 2017 World Changing Ideas Awards run by Fast Company. Their product, KioKit is a mobile and very robust kit packing everything you need to build a connected classroom. With the amazing BRCK—a powerful, ruggedized battery, 40 tablets, and wireless charging facilities, the water-resistant, lockable case can be taken far beyond the electric grid and internet network. The Kit was developed in Kenya by the same band of battle-hardened engineers behind open-source software company Ushahidi and iHub, a respected innovation and hacker space in Nairobi. With 57 million children not going to school on any given school day, there’s a powerful need for flexible education infrastructure and engaging content. The tablets come pre-programmed with “Learn” and “Play” sections, plus another focused on responsible citizenship (“Grow” section). With the KioKit, education isn’t limited to Africa’s cities or suburbs.
Check them out at: www.brck.com
