Gratitude Day Five: for connections and opportunities and ideas. Sometimes it feels like there is no progress on what I am trying to do with my life. Then two different people reach out for potential opportunities. I have a meeting with someone else. And then another idea pops up ... 💚

Gratitude Day Four: literary events and literary people. This evening at @exclusivebooks.bsky.social Cavendish Square. Sally Cranswick talking to Hannah Botsis about her book THE CLERGYMAN'S DAUGHTER. I also ran into Jen Thorpe, Bongani Kona, Helen Moffett, Colleen Higgs and Lucienne Argent.

Gratitude Day Three: for singers and songs, connections and friends, for adventures and laughter, for listening, for unconditional support, for always being there. In memoriam.

Gratitude Day Two: for swimming caps and swimming and aqua aerobics classes. Starting off the week as I mean to carry on 💚 #gratitude

Gratitude Day 1: for reflections on ceilings like a mirrored swimming pool. I am starting a 100 day gratitude practice today. This start connects to Lughnasadh in the Global South, a celebration of bounty and harvest. #gratitude

Day One of the Cape Flats Book Festival. Amazing events. Interactive and creative energy. Day Two tomorrow.

With @kerryhammerton.bsky.social at our very first @indeedbooks.bsky.social launch: MY THREE NAMES by Pamela Newham! 😍 Thank you @exclusivebooks.bsky.social Cavendish for hosting!

Full house @exclusivebooks.bsky.social Cavendish for Pamela Newham's MY THREE NAMES. @kerryhammerton.bsky.social and I loved this novel and I am thrilled that Karavan Press and Booksite can support its publishing journey. Thank you to all who attended and to #ExclusiveBooks #Cavendish for hosting!

I am running my first writing workshop for 2026 in February. It is called 'Writing into your voice' and is open to flash and poetry writers. Email me: [email protected]

Unsolicited writing advice, no. 6: Having a day job doesn’t mean you’re not a proper writer. Writing for children doesn’t mean you’re not a proper writer. Being unpublished doesn’t mean you’re not a proper writer. Oh, and there’s no such thing as a proper writer. Only writers, and those who don’t.

Unsolicited writing advice, no. 23: We're all on a learning curve. Every writer, at whatever stage of their career - is on a learning curve. The minute you forget that - either to shit on a less experienced writer, or to refuse to be edited, or to ignore criticism - is the moment you start to suck.

From the review by Kyle Allan of 'Malikhanye' by Mxolisi Nyezwa for 'LitNet', 2012 For the full review, see Mxolisi Nyezwa's 'Malikhanye' book page on the Deep South website: 🔑: deepsouth.co.za/product/mali...

The Book Lounge’s Festive Reading Guide is out and includes a few Karavan Press titles: karavanpress.com/2025/12/05/t...

Join us at the Cape Flats Book Festival on Saturday 31 January. Sheryl James paralympian runner and her mother, Sandy James, will be in conversation with Nancy Richards about UNBRIDLED. Pam Newham, MY THREE NAMES, will be in conversation with Andile Cele and Nancy Richards about identity.

Celebrating IN OTHER STORIES 2025 with editor @kerryhammerton.bsky.social & the growing super-talented FLASH FAMILY!

Earlier tonight @thebooklounge.bsky.social: Roger Lucey in conversations with John Maytham at the launch of his HOW TO BUILD A HOUSE IN THE MOUNTAINS. An evening of storytelling and music. Thank you to everyone who made the event possible and to all who attended!

Cover reveal: UNBRIDLING by Sheryl and Sandy James. Sheryl James is a South African Paralympic track athlete born with cerebral palsy. UNBRIDLING is the story of her journey and the story of her mother’s support. It is a story of faith, love and family #unbridling #indeedbooks #paraolympics 16h

We will be talking about Indeed Books and collaborative publishing online with Jen Thorpe on 8 December. Follow the link for more information. karinamagdalena.com/2025/11/05/c...

Pamela Newham with her latest teen novel MY THREE NAMES. We are the proud publisher of this award-winning writer, and excited to announce that a school in Cape Town has already added this book to their reading list for 2026.

Book of the Year 2025 @thebooklounge.bsky.social shortlist announced: karavanpress.com/2025/11/07/t...

IN OTHER STORIES 2025, edited by @kerryhammerton.bsky.social, launching at BookBedonnerd in Richmond! ❤️

Words find us ... Note POETS right above Chantal Stewart's head. We are about to publish her debut collection of poetry – LET'S BE LEGENDS – @karavanpress.bsky.social. Here with poet @kerryhammerton.bsky.social.

Flash workshop with @kerryhammerton.bsky.social at BookBedonnerd, Richmond.

Karavan Press title: IN OTHER STORIES 2025 edited by @kerryhammerton.bsky.social karavanpress.com/2025/11/03/k...

Collaborative Publishing: Indeed Books, with @kerryhammerton.bsky.social & me. karinamagdalena.com/2025/11/05/c...

‘Burning Down the House’ is book of the month for the Feminist Readers Book Club @thebooklounge.bsky.social Wednesday, 29 October 2025 5.30 for 6PM Buy the book here: booklounge.co.za/product/burn...

Please join us for the launch of ICE SHOCK by @ellekeboehmer.bsky.social: Elleke will be in conversation with Karin Schimke. @exclusivebooks.bsky.social Cavendish Monday, 3 November 2025 5.30 for 6PM RSVP: exclusivebooks.co.za/pages/events...

Karavan Press at the Madibaland @ BookBedonnerd Literary Festival 30 October - 1 November 2025 Richmond, Karoo karavanpress.com/2025/10/19/k...

Ana of Dear Writers reviews A HIBISCUS COAST by Nick Mulgrew www.instagram.com/p/DP1J9JLjD0...

Look who is publishing her new novel with Karavan Press ... @gailgil.bsky.social! 😍

We WON! ❤️

Oh my! Land Beneath the Waves has been chosen as a Kindle deal this month! Only 99p! Please do share with folk interested in #nature, #landscape, #conservation, #wildlifegardening and/or living with #chronicillness 🙏 @summersdalebooks.bsky.social #naturewriting #memoir #adenomyosis #coeliacdisease

Attending a writing retreat can be a great way to start or advance a project. Have you ever been on a retreat? I love looking at these listings and daydreaming a little. So many inspiring possibilities! #writingcommunity writingretreatdirectory.com/find-a-retre...

Cape Town friends, please join me at 11am on Saturday 6 September for the opening of my very first art exhibition! Expect coffee, snacks and live music - and I'll be reading some of my poems, too. Join us!

Delighted that my story The Tenth Testicle has dropped today in the Tenth Anniversary issue of @nffr.bsky.social… newflashfiction.com/the-tenth-te...

Book sale & reading: uHlanga Press karavanpress.com/2025/09/02/b...

New skies! We’ll be leaving Twitter/X and calling Bluesky our main home starting 1 September. Looking forward to thoughtful conversations - including monthly Bluesky chats! Thanks for finding us! #WritingCommunity

PRINCE ALBERT LEESFEES, 29-31 August 2025: Andrew Robert Wilson will be in conversation with @karinamszczurek.bsky.social on Saturday, 30 August, 9:00-9:40AM. karavanpress.com/2025/08/16/p...

We are delighted to announce that the SA Book Awards 2025 Adult Fiction Shortlist includes 'The Bitterness of Olives' by Andrew Brown! Congratulations, Andrew, and all other shortlisted authors! karavanpress.com/2025/08/07/s...

The 2025 Sunday Times Literary Awards longlists announced karavanpress.com/2025/08/03/t...

I will be running a flash writing workshop in collaboration with Life Righting Collective in August. Dates: Saturday 9 & 16 August Time: 10am - 1pm It is one workshop split over two Saturdays. It is suitable for memoir and fiction writing. Link to book is in my bio and in the comments.

"God sent an angel. One of his least qualified, though." Quite a stretch of poems for #PoemADayJuly — and today's is no different, with "I’m not a religious person but" by Chen Chen A poem is a conversation between the text and the reader. Let's listen. @thevogelman.bsky.social @heymrsbond.com

We’re making the leap! @womenwritersnet.bsky.social is officially migrating from Twitter/X to Bluesky on 1 September. We’re glad to start afresh in a space that feels better aligned with our mission to promote and support women writers. Glad to be here – and hope to see more of you soon!

Update part 1: We're deeply grateful for community support - R104,177 so far! But government funding has been slashed: provincial funding cut us to R55K (from R300K), while DSAC completely axed funding after years of support (R700K in 2024). We can no longer rely on government support.

Update 2: Open Book isn't just an event - it's where art heals, where strangers become friends, and where writers and readers find their community. Every contribution matters. Every share helps. Please support us or share with someone who might: booklounge.co.za/product/open...

"Mxolisi Nyezwa: A new dawn for poetry" an interview by Gary Cummiskey for the Dye Hard Interviews series. For the full interview with Mxolisi Nyezwa, see his interviews tab/section on the Deep South website: 🔑: deepsouth.co.za/product/bhla...

Unsolicited writing advice, no. 668: All authors need an editor. Your editor is your first reader; gives feedback; sees the things you're too close to see. A good editor knows the genre you're writing in; understands the business; knows how to help you make your book as good as it can possibly be.

Shift from Storyteller to Story Seller - with Cathy Kelly and the Life Righting Collective liferighting.com/courses/shif...

An independent Scottish publisher, Batis Books, with a focus on Southern African books will launch in early 2026 👇 #BookSky