Keith Oliver Lewis
Keith Oliver Lewis is a poet from Smartie Town, Paarl. His work speaks to the lived experiences of coloured/brown people in South Africa. He uses words to investigate and reveal the root of the social ills plaguing his community. Keith’s creations focus on reimagining the forgotten histories of his people and humanising their current surreal existence. He sees memory as an archive to bring healing from trauma and loss. He is the author of the 2023 Short.Sharp.Stories-winning entry, “Blue Boy Lagoon” (included in the Fluid anthology published by Karavan Press).
Short.Sharp.Stories anthology Fluid: interview with Keith Oliver Lewis, author of “Blue Boy Lagoon"
2023-08-21"These characters are fictional, but they are also a quilt of real memories. With this story, I tried my best not to create archetypal characters or fall into the stereotypes that burden coloured characters in the media. I wanted to show these boys with all of their complexities, faults and facets. I believe that these are the things that make us human."