Litnet

"What does social media say about you, and what could it say about others around you? Social media reveals more than just your basic likes, like listening to Nirvana and reading a lot of Tolkien, but also locks your thoughts and musings in time. TikTok, Facebook and YouTube can be a good way to know someone, but when potential danger signs are ignored, social media is a darker trip."

"Admittedly, it is tricky to write about a journey with food. Unless you are writing a recipe book, how do you go about it? The book is a blend between autobiography and narrative novel."

"On Friday, during the South African Festival of Children’s Literature, I have been presented with the SA Children’s Laureate Award for my contribution to SA children’s literature."

We are giving away 2 x 2 tickets to Let’s Carnivale for Friday night’s show. Yes! You and a partner could be lucky enough to go on Friday night 17 May 2024! Each ticket is worth R400.

Amazwi South African Museum of Literature invites you to a conference that explores all aspects of children’s literature, from picture books to young-adult fiction.

Rory Riordan explains why all of us should demand that the blue team formally work with the green, black and gold team to move South Africa forward.

"It is easy in South African politics to blame Zuma, the preterit king of the superfluous, while failing to understand that the fundamental root of our current problems is extreme inequality."

"I don’t have the answers or pretend that any of this is easy. Nor will I accept that the ANC inherited an immaculate country in 1994. There was a lot to address – many vast inequalities and systems which were already corrupt and unjust. But it is now 30 years later and there is no denying the fact that we should be much further along ..."

"Despite our country facing challenges such as crime, corruption and energy insecurity, our democracy is worth defending through our vote."

"My reservations have nothing to do with whether I support this or that party in the Israel-Palestine conflict. It also has nothing to do with the question of whether it is or is not the right thing to do to support the two-state solution. My question turns on the lesson imparted above, ie, 'And then what will happen?'"

"Rather than charge an entrance fee, we want children to be able to go home with a book or at least carry a story that they heard at the festival in their hearts for the rest of their school days, at least."

The third event in the Skrywersaand series will feature the launch of two compelling thrillers: The hidden by Fiona Snyckers and Good Hope by Nick Clelland. Both novels are set in the near future, The hidden in the United States and Good Hope in an unsettling version of what readers would recognise as Cape Town. Jonathan Amid will lead the discussion, delving deeply into questions of genre, power, place and the politics of fear.

Major names will be in Cradock from 12 to 15 June 2024 for the annual Karoo Writers Festival. Deon Meyer, Coenie de Villiers, André Schwartz, David Viviers and Herman Lategan are but a few of the names that have already been pegged to the performers list.

"I was asked to speak about young-adult fiction (YAF). It is a topic I am passionate about, and I love reading YAF, but I am really old. That was one of the reasons I asked four YA authors to share their views on their own writing with the girls. The authors agreed to share their insights with the rest of the country on World Book Day."

"Tens of thousands of civilians flooded into the streets – no one slept that night. Carnations were the flowers in season, and many of the soldiers 'planted' the long-stemmed flowers in their gun barrels – an image broadcast across the world."

"The near north is a book of memory, about life and death, joy and sadness, spatial geography and the thinking and not thinking behind human settlements."

"This is my first traditionally published novel set outside of South Africa. This is a story that could only be set in the USA. The combination of survivalist cult, ultra-right-wing white supremacists and federal authorities could only take place there. That was the story I felt compelled to tell, and that dictated the setting."

"Widespread municipal corruption, management failures, poor skills and continual disruptions raise serious questions about the prospects of municipalities or other public bodies sustainably delivering better services. Meanwhile, National Treasury has often cited ineffective grant utilisation by municipalities as a key reason for why water finances have not reached local low-income groups."

An international judging panel has shortlisted twenty-three outstanding stories for the world’s most global literature prize. The shortlisted writers hail from 13 countries across the Commonwealth and their ambitious stories span continents and decades.

"The word 'intent' is of paramount importance here."