By Rasvanth Chunylall
Five local writers have had an amazing Women’s Month thus far. Here are some of the highlights of their experiences:
1. Melissa Delport
Delport has received critical acclaim for her Legacy-series. Her most recent accolade is being named Author of the Month for the September 2014 issue of Rooi Rose magazine. Additionally, she was given the opportunity to discuss writing with the girls at St. Mary’s School in Kloof. She posted her delight on Facebook, acknowledging that she wouldn’t have to “use any big words” and be able to “talk about the Vampire Diaries without anyone raising an eyebrow”.
2. Tumelo Khoza
On Facebook the spoken-word poetess revealed that she had a performance scheduled for the last weekend of August at the 25th African Festival of the Arts in Chicago. Her current project involves a collaboration with jazz artists. According to Khoza, she has been invited by Marquis Hill to contribute some spoken words on his Modern Flows EP Vol. 1.
3. Jann Turner
So proud to be a part of this show #TheDivide @
— Jann Turner (@JannTurner) August 20, 2014
The Los Angeles-based author and filmmaker continues to add to her significant achievements. She directed the season finale of the television series, The Divide. During her first live tweeting session Damon Gupton, a The Divide actor, tweeted: “Your episode rocked. You were fab. It was an honorreview saidthe aptly named “I Can’t Go Back” is the season’s most leisurely paced and understated episode yet. But just because this episode is ‘quieter’ than the ones before it does not make it less powerful.”
4. Nazia Peer
#welead women’s leadership conference @debbyedelstein loving it here
— Nazia Peer (@PeerNazia) August 07, 2014
The House of Peace author was invited – together with fellow KZN writer Shafinaaz Hassim – to speak at the 6th Annual Women’s Leadership Conference. Described as a “one-day interactive conference for women leaders”, it provided these women with the opportunity to share leadership tips and empower other women.
5. Shafinaaz Hassim
Thank you to the crowds that filled the theatre each night, to the actresses who shared so powerfully, to creative souls! #SoPhiaTwenty20
— Shafinaaz Hassim (@shafinaaz) August 24, 2014
On the 18 August, Hassim tweeted that when she started writing SoPhia, her debut novel, she never imagined it would take on a life of its own as it has. And what life it has taken on – a play featuring “alternate theatre performances that draw threads of narrative poems, art installations” and her novel. According to Hassim, SoPhiaTwenty20 celebrates South African women such as Pregs Govender, Winnie Mandela, Miriam Makeba, Jesse Duarte and Thuli Madonsela. On 24 August it ended a successful run at Intimate Theatre at the State Theatre in Pretoria.
