Bookmark January 2020 Newsletter
View the content of the newsletter below or download a copy here
2019 UJ Prize Winners Announced
The winners of the University of Johannesburg’s Prize for South African Writing in English were announced in November. The UJ Prize, now in its 13th year, is judged by four faculty members from the university’s Department of English, along with two academics from other universities and one member of the media industry. There are two prizes: the Main Prize, which this year came to R70 000, and the Debut Prize, which totalled R35 000. The winners in 2019 were Gabeba Baderoon for her exquisite poetry collection The History of Intimacyand Mphuthumi Ntabeni for his magical novel The Broken River Tent.
Read more here.
The fourth Abantu Book Festival in Soweto
The much-anticipated fourth instalment of the Abantu Book Festival kicked off in a cold and wet Soweto with a poetry performance by Jamaican-Canadian poet D’bi Young and a keynote address by Mona Eltahawy. The festival ran from 5 December to 8 December, with 45 sessions and more than 50 participating authors. International authors on the programme include Chris Abani, Leye Adenle, Mona Eltahawy, D’bi Young, Remy Ngamije and Wana Udobang.
Abantu Festival attendees Lorraine Sithole, Samuel Maphalane, Fred Khumalo en Busisiwe Mahlape pictured above.
Visit the Abantu website.
Nigerian publisher Bibi Bakare-Yusuf expressed her admiration for the festival on Twitter:
Appointment of National Librarian and CEO
Mr Madumo will join the NLSA on 1 December 2019.
Mr Kepi Madumo is a highly experienced executive who, since early 2002, has gained senior leadership experience in the Library and Information Sector as Director: Provincial Library, Information and Archives Services in the North West Province.
The most notable roles occupied by Mr Madumo include Executive Director in the Department of Community Development, City of Johannesburg; Strategic Executive Director in the Department of Sport, Recreation, Arts, Culture and Libraries, City of Tshwane; Director of Information Management in the National Department of Social Development; and Divisional Head of Strategy, Research and Organisation Performance at the City of Ekurhuleni.
Mr Madumo holds a Master’s Degree in Library and Information Studies from the University of Cape Town and has completed the Executive Leadership Programme at the Gordon Institute of Business Science, University of Pretoria; Management Advancement Programme (MAP) at Wits Business School; Municipal Finance Management Programme (MFMP) at the University of Pretoria; Honours Degree in Information Studies from the Rand Afrikaans University (now the University of Johannesburg) and a four-year Bachelor’s Degree in Library and Information Science from the University of the North (now the University of Limpopo).
TVET titles
Some publishers have provided back-to-school book lists for trade reference. Click through to the publishers listed below: Oxford University Press, Pearson, Shuter & Shooter Publishers
The titles flying off bookshop shelves this Christmas
Booksellers across the country report a strong local season so far, with Mteto Nyati’s Betting On A Darkie,Bassie Khumalo’s Bassie: My Journey of Hope and Sylvester Chauke’s Stand Against Bland popular in Gauteng and Durban. Joburg indie Bridge Books noted a resurgence in sales of Sihle Bolani’s We Are the Ones We Need, and were delighted by good pre-orders of their very first publication, an illustrated children’s book titled, The First Story Ever Told. Mona Eltahawy’s visit to the Abantu Festival this December significantly boosted sales of her new book, The Seven Necessary Sins for Women and Girls.
