Robert Berold gives feedback on Outside the cave

Robert Berold, South African poet and publisher of deep south books, writes:

I finished reading outside the cave  -- a unique book in SA poetry, in the beat idiom (corso and beiles mostly) but with deeper feeling. the narratives jump hotfooted into metaphor and out again, from violence to longing, pain to humour.

Robert Berold on Thunder on the highway

Poet and publisher Robert Berold has this to say about Thunder on the highway: 'I've enjoyed your little book, read it 3-4 times (not a long read). the whole thing works -- images, tonal shifts, line arrangements.'

FIVE copies of donga left in stock

Dye Hard Press has FIVE copies of donga left in stock. donga is a selection of poetry, short fiction, interviews and essays from what was one of South Africa's first literary online journals (2000-2003).

With 32 contributors, donga contains work by writers such as Lionel Abrahams, Robert Berold, Lauren Beukes, Nadine Botha, Toast Coetzer, Gary Cummiskey, Graeme Feltham, Richard Fox, Stacy Hardy, Stephen Hofstatter, Aryan Kaganof, Bernat Kruger, Joan Meterlerkamp, Ike Mboneni Muila, Pravasan Pillay, Lesego Rampolokeng, Arja Salafranca, Kelwyn Sole, Ivan Vladislavic and Paul Wessels.

donga is edited by Alan Finlay and Paul Wessels, and was published by BlekSem, in collaboration with Botsotso Publishing and Dye Hard Press.

320 pages.

The cost is R100 per copy, including postage - South Africa only. Email me at dyehardpress@iafrica.com to order!

Poets and events at the Grahamstown arts festival 2014

Alan Finlay and Paul Wessels

Mishka Hoosen

Lesego Rampolokeng

Napo Masheane

Robert Berold

David wa Maahlamela

Lesego Rampolokeng

Mafika Gwala, Gary Cummiskey, Lesego Rampolokeng

Vonani Bila, David wa Maahlamelah, Mafika Gwala, Lesego Rampolokeng

Lesego Rampolokeng

The writing on the wall by Alan Finlay

Gary Cummiskey, bored, had a moment of inspiration

Joan Meterlekamp and Mishka Hoosen

Alan Finlay

Robert Berold and Crystal Warren

Chris Mann

Paul Wessels, Kobus Moolman and Marike Beyers

Kobus Moolman

Deep South publications and issues of New Coin on display

Denis Hirson, centre

Ari Sitas

Alan Finlay

Gary Cummiskey

Gary Cummiskey

Kobus Moolman

Gary Cummiskey appointed New Coin editor

Grahamstown, 13th November 2013: Well-known South African poet and publisher, Gary Cummiskey, is to become the editor of poetry magazine New Coin from 2014, taking over from this year’s guest editor, Vonani Bila. A widely published writer, Cummiskey is based in Johannesburg where he runs Dye Hard Press and a number of other poetry projects.

Cummiskey’s poetry and short stories have been featured extensively in literary journals both locally and overseas for the past 20 years.  He founded Dye Hard Press in 1994 specifically to give a platform to new voices, and has since published over thirty titles from local poets. He sees his New Coin editorship as a fresh opportunity to promote the kind of challenging, original work that keeps South African poetry alive and awake:

“A poetry that is restricted and does not offer the reader anything new adds to the view of poetry as something stuffy and dead that has no resonance with contemporary readers and makes publishers even less likely to take a chance on it.  A journal such as New Coin, which has always focused on writing that is willing to break out of the mould and take risks, is an essential vehicle to continue to promote and offer poetry as a form worthy of attention and admiration.”

New Coin was founded in 1965 by Guy Butler and Ruth Harnett and is published twice a year by the Institute for the Study of English in Africa (ISEA) at Rhodes University.  Cummiskey will work with an editorial board made up of the four poets who teach on the Rhodes MA in Creative Writing course: Mxolisi Nyezwa, Brian Walter, Joan Metelerkamp and Robert Berold – the last two of whom have edited New Coin in the past.

Berold comments: “Gary Cummiskey has a good grasp of the range of voices and sub-cultures that make up South African poetry in English.  His approach to publishing is the only way to keep poetry vital.  His appointment is good news for South African poetry.”

Subscribe now to get both the June and December 2013 issues of New Coin for R170. Email isea@ru.ac.za or call 046 603 8565.  

The Rhodes MA in Creative Writing

Rhodes University’s MA in Creative Writing is open for applications for 2014. You can do the course full time over one year in Grahamstown or part time over two years from wherever you live.  The MA includes 16 weeks of coursework from several teachers followed by a book-length creative work which can be written in English, isiXhosa or Afrikaans.  This can be a novel, non-fiction work, playscript, short story collection or poetry collection.

All the teachers on the course are practising writers: Joan Metelerkamp, Mxolisi Nyezwa, Brian Walter, Paul Wessels, Joanne Hichens, Anton Krueger, Ingrid Winterbach, Rian Malan, Godfrey Meintjes, Russell Kaschula, Hazel Crampton, Paul Mason, Eben Venter and Robert Berold.  Plus you will get input from writers in residence, who have recently included Lesego Rampolokeng, Kobus Moolman, and Soga Mlandu.

Entry to the course requires a twenty page portfolio of creative work and an honours degree. If you don’t have the necessary formal qualifications, acceptance is still possible with an extensive publication record and/or outstanding potential as a writer.

Deadline for applications is 30 October 2013 but entries are already open. Places are limited. 
Go to http://www.ru.ac.za/isea/courses/mainwriting/ to find out more.

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Forthcoming title from Dye Hard Press: fhedzi by Khulile Nxumalo

fhedzi is Khulile Nxumalo's second poetry collection.
90-pages
ISBN: 978-0-9869982-1-8

Khulile Nxumalo was born in Diepkloof, Soweto, in 1971. He finished school at Waterford Kamhlaba, Swaziland, and went to the University of Cape Town, University of Natal and Wits University. His first poetry collection, ten flapping elbows, mama, was published by Deep South in 2004. His work has appeared in several literary journals in South Africa, Canada, the UK and the US. Nxumalo has twice won the DALRO award for poetry.  He has two children.

Khulile Nxumalo is one of the few poets in South Africa using longer experimental forms. He has found a creative way of breaking up the English language and fusing it with other languages. He is also capable of intense lyrical expression. – Robert Berold

magma-burn. emotion-lava spilling out. of wounds. 

and thoughts of them expressed in ghostly words

of the divining spirit. and coming thru the smog.

and dust,blood-rained on strange children's games.

and ever The Voice, lonesome, wearied, spiralling inward...

with this one,sikhulile! – Lesego Rampolokeng

The Melville Poetry Festival October 2011

Gail Dendy and Selwyn Klass at the launch of Closer Than That

Marie-Lais Emond and Eleanor Di Pasquale (back to camera) in the doorway of the launch venue

From inside the launch venue, looking out on the street

Gail Dendy talking at the launch of Closer Than That

Gail Dendy talking at the launch of Closer Than That

Gail Dendy reading at the launch of Closer Than That

The marching brass band for the festival 

The brass band's banner announcing the festival

Crowd watches the brass band playing; Allan Kolski Horwitz and Siphiwe ka Nywenga at extreme left

Bernat Kruger

Bernat Kruger 

Bernat Kruger

Kobus Moolman 

Kobus Moolman 

Khulile Nxumalo 

Khulile Nxumalo

Khulile Nxumalo 

Alan Finlay 

Alan Finlay 

Alan Finlay 

Arja Salafranca 

Arja Salafranca

Robert Berold talks at the launch of Rosamund Stanford's The Hurricurrent and Mxolisi Nyezwa's Malikhanye

Mxolisi Nyezwa

Rosamund Stanford

Mxolisi Nyezwa

Gary Cummiskey

Gary Cummiskey

Books for sale at the festival

Books for sale at the festival

Books for sale at the festival

Gary Cummiskey talks at the panel discussion 'The Ghost of Wopko Jensma'

Gary Cummiskey talks at the panel discussion 'The Ghost of Wopko Jensma'

Hans Pienaar introduces the panel discussion 'The Ghost of Wopko Jensma'