The Jacana Literary Foundation just announced the shortlist for this year’s Sol Plaatje European Union Poetry Award. This news alone is cause for delight in the Literary Tourism office but there is even greater cause for excitement this year. One of the shortlisted poets, Sindiswa Busuku-Mathese, crafts her work just down the corridor from us in the UKZN English Department and her poem “A Portrait of a Mother and Indiscretion” has been shortlisted for the award! This is, however, not the first time a UKZN poet has been selected for the shortlist; Kobus Moolman won the award in 2013 for “Daily Duty”.
September saw poets Johann de Lange, Goodenough Mashego and Joan Metelerkamp judge 472 entries and compile a longlist of 63 poems. From these 63 entries, Mongene Wally Serote has selected the three winning poems, with the overall winner to be announced on 17 October at the Poetry Africa Festival in Durban.
Sindiswa Busuku-Mathese is young Durban poet and has recently completed her Masters in creative writing. Her poetry plays with the blending of stylistic and structural concerns with archival materials. Her work focuses on the relationship between generational slippages and has featured in various local poetry journals such as New Coin, Prufrock, Aerodrome, Ons Klyntji and The Sol Plaatje EU Poetry anthology.
Upon learning about the announcement, we managed to get in touch with Busuku-Mathese to hear her response to the news: “I’m incredibly excited. As a bit of a newcomer to poetry, being selected is very encouraging. The Sol Plaatje EU award is great platform for newcomers and established poets to come together and I’m honoured to be part of that”
The event will take place at 8 Morrison Street at 6pm on 17 October. Save the date and come hang out with us.
