New writing
Fiction and prose by established and emerging authors. Send your poetry or fiction to New Writing at skryfwerk@litnet.co.za to be considered for publication on LitNet.
Please note that work previously published in print or on any online media platform will not be considered for selection.
Where they can’t hurt me and Sylvia Plath
2019-11-06“They can’t hurt our words,
Sylvia. Let us dance, then, in the arms
of our lovers, and our friends”
Disgust
2019-11-06“Mr Hicks cursed and stormed out into the reception room and said, sir, what is the problem, sir? He summed the stranger up and said, I know your sort. I have been taken in by your sort before, and then he ordered Fiona to call Sergeant Marais.”
Theoretical cartography
2019-10-31“And, beyond those continents, in a tiny boat sailing off beyond the map, were – theoretically, for a short while – the two of us.”
Regret
2019-10-23“A fleeting stubbornness. She had always been reticent regarding her personal matters, and so did not enjoy the manner in which the Thought was prying.”
Respect
2019-10-15“It is enough to know now that you are the love of my life. I listen to eighties music now. I am happy. I want you to know that.”
MA in Kreatiewe Skryfkuns by die Universiteit van die Vrystaat
2019-10-10“(Aspirant)-skrywer, -digter of literêre vertaler? Die UV bied aan jou ’n kursus waarvan die vernaamste oogmerk die ontwikkeling van ’n lewensvatbare publiseerbare manuskrip is – en jy doen dit onder leiding van twee bekroonde skrywers, Henning Pieterse en Francois Smith.”
Toy designers
2019-10-08“We pick the struggling succulents
Sparsely scattered on the barely surviving
Bleached lawn, prickled with camel thorns”
The Adhan is silent most mornings
2019-10-03“In every home there’s a room that holds the most powerful secrets. In every room that holds such secrets, there’s a table. A table that eavesdrops, that listens to all human discussions.”
Vrouedag-skryfkompetisie: Guardian angel
2019-08-25LitNet se Vrouedag-kompetisie – Poem by Danielle Robbertze:
"You were my guardian
Now let me try to be yours"
Vrouedag-skryfkompetisie: A woman I remember
2019-08-24LitNet se Vrouedag-kompetisie – Poem by Caitlin Tredoux:
"Though I never knew your name,
motherhood connects us
as we care and try try try"
Vrouedag-skryfkompetisie: A woman I remember
2019-08-24LitNet se Vrouedag-kompetisie – Flash fiction by Yvonne Botha: "She never disappointed us and although she wasn’t our mother she was and is a woman to be remembered."
Vrouedag-skryfkompetisie: I am not a woman
2019-08-21LitNet se Vrouedag-kompetisie – Flash fiction by Heidi Slot: "Alone in the harbour café in St Tropez we drink mineral water and read French magazines. We do not speak French, so we do not speak."
Vrouedag-skryfkompetisie: A woman I remember
2019-08-21LitNet se Vrouedag-kompetisie – Poem by Fabianne Vorster (11):
"Of course I couldn’t see
Because in my sleep she came to be"
Strandloper
2019-08-21"So, put that in your pocket for a rainy day. The world comes to life around me, and I’m alright again. I find it hard to trust people now. I go for long walks."
To that young woman eating watermelon
2019-08-14Poem by Abigail George:
"Enough,
you little show-off! You heathen, or if it is by your choice,
atheist, then, if it pleases you. Are you happy?"
Vrouedag-skryfkompetisie: Alice Duddy
2019-08-06LitNet se Vrouedag-skryfkompetisie – Poem by Linda Meyer:
"She prepares and bottles jam all day
Then she goes and gives it all away"
Vrouedag-skryfkompetisie: To my mother
2019-08-06LitNet se Vrouedag-skryfkompetisie – Poem by Abigail George:
"You’re opera in the
wilderness. See the tragedy in my eyes, mother.
I ponder the hush, the inner music of the shore.
I’m always seeing the same shore."