by Maggie Marx on 18 Jun 2013
The Times
What made you go into publishing?
I studied for a publishing degree at the University of Pretoria. It was at a time when educational publishers were trying to recover from the post-apartheid turmoil, and large traditional publishers were struggling to make their old-fashioned models relevant to a new South African audience.
What made you see things differently?
There was a misconception out there that black people don’t read. In our final year we worked on a project towards our degrees. I went into townships to do research. I found that access to books in township schools was limited to libraries and classrooms. I also saw how well children responded to books. I decided to create a book I believed could sell.
How did you do this?
My team and I got writers to contribute stories and then had the book illustrated and printed. We then went to schools to talk about the book, Metz and Bop and the Big Library Theft, and advised them we’d be back in two weeks to sell copies at R20 each. We sold 5000 books that way.
You still run this project. Is it difficult?
The project has not been without its problems. We have had to concentrate on other aspects of our business, such as Supernova and helping authors to self-publish. It is not forgotten, however, and I still believe that, if children buy books, they are guaranteed to read them.
Describe Supernova.
It is an educational magazine for children between the ages of nine and 14. It is published every second month and aims to make children aware of issues that affect them, their community and environment. We want to equip them with the tools and inspiration to become active and responsible world citizens.
Book details
- Metz and Bop and the Big Library Theft by Richard Street, Marilyn Perry, Jane van Velsen;, Carolyn Visser, Elma van den Berg, Karen Jeynes, Ofentse Ribane, Nerine Dorman, Francois Verster, Lydia Gittens, illustrated by Gerhard Cruywagen, Rhys Ap Gwyn
EAN: 9780981433509
Find this book with BOOK Finder!
by tiah on 16 Jun 2013
In honour of Youth Day the elves caught SSDA’s YA/ kids coordinator Tiah Beautement in between workshops, packing, Father’s Day and other SSDA madness to ask her 21 questions.
1. How did you end up working for Short Story Day Africa?
I am the wrong person to ask. Rachel Zadok and Colleen Higgs sent me an email. I told them they didn’t want a person like me. (Long story.) Anyway, they refused to listen to my excuses and insisted I was hired. The pay is zilch, the hours are long (during May-July) but they let me set my own pace to suit my health needs and things get done. That’s all they care about – that I get the job done. I love it.
2. We’ve heard you have a learning disability that is related to dyslexia?
Yep. It doesn’t impact my ability to read – thank goodness! – because I’m a total bookworm. But it does make spelling tricky, grasping new languages hard, I constantly mispronounce words and my grammatical skills are a joke. The good news is that it has made me a champion of editing. It has also been a huge help in the workshops I run for youth. I’ve had information presented to me in so many different ways that if a kid isn’t ‘getting it’ rather than repeatedly bash the poor soul over the head, I simply switch it up until the light bulb goes off.
3. Any advice to parents or guardians on working with their kid’s writing?
I read a parenting book way back when that said you should never ask your toddler, ‘What is it?’ when presented with a drawing or piece of artwork. First – Find something to compliment. A common response around here was, ‘Good use of colour!’ Second – Ask the child to explain their piece to you. ‘So tell me about this drawing.’
This year I had a number of children tell me, ‘I showed this to my parents and they told me my story didn’t make sense.’
Avoid doing that.
In my experience, the story always makes sense in the kid’s head, there are simply puzzle pieces missing in the writing. They have crazy wild imaginations – heck, I’ve got a retelling of Noah’s Ark on my desk where Noah is now ‘Roxy the scientist’ and she isn’t human, but a fox – as in the animal, not the adult innuendo. However, with all that imagination binging in different directions, the story can take a few left turns. The key is to walk the kid through it and ask the questions any writer should be asking themselves while writing, which basically amount to: Where?, Why? and What if?
The young writer will start babbling away. That’s when you pick up the pen, jot down notes. Then show the young person how rearranging the puzzle pieces of the story (and adding a line here or there) will help make their vision clearer to the reader.
4. And you really teach kids how to edit & rewrite?
Yes. Read this.
5. We’ve been asking other writers if they agree with Hemingway’s saying, ‘Write drunk, edit sober.’
I have enough trouble with typos while writing sober, thanks. Coffee for work; wine when the day is done.
6. Zadie Smith was recently quoted as saying ‘Motherhood is not a threat to creativity.’ Thoughts?
Why are fathers never asked these questions?
Fine, I’ll play. With the older youth – those on the cusp of being the next big thing in a few years – I get badgered about ‘How do I become a writer?’ I toss them some information, but sum it up with the phrase, ‘Writers write about life. If you want to write, get a life.’
There is a lot of living to be done as a parent.
7. Do you think Short Story Day Africa has enemies?
No. People seem to love SSDA. Well, with the exception of Telkom. They appear bound determined to keep things interesting.
8. Are you for e-books or against?
I like variety.
9. But don’t you find that the internet and technology are killing creativity?
Hey, without the internet I wouldn’t have a job. Short Story Day Africa would be dependent on the post and…well, while I won’t say everything is bigger and better overseas, the post is – how do I put this? – they seem to have held up Telkom as a role model.
10. We heard Charles Bukowski is one of SSDA’s sponsors. Doesn’t it bother you that he’s dead?
Real life usually is stranger than fiction. Embrace it.
11. Why aren’t you talking about your own writing?
Well, you haven’t really asked.
12. Does that bother you?
Not today.
13. What about tomorrow, then?
No, probably won’t bother me tomorrow. I’m fairly busy at the moment.
14. But you do read short stories, right?
Right.
15. Any particular ones?
Loads. Welcome to find me on goodreads if you really want to know.
16. Do you only read African fiction?
No. Again, I like variety. I read literary, romance novels, YA, horror – you name it, I’ve probably tried the genre at least once. But I won’t lie, I do have personal tastes that favour certain types of books. Also, African fiction is taking off. Very exciting to be here while it rockets.
17. You don’t have romance novels on your goodreads list.
Nope. I tend to reach for them when I want an escape. Listing them on goodreads is a bit too much like work.
18. You’ve mentioned to a few people that Roger Ebert’s essay ‘Nil by Mouth’ played a small roll inspiring this year’s adult competition theme: Feast, Famine & Potluck.
I do love that piece. I live in a small town. While my fellow townies are generally great, not many around here want to have deep conversations about books, writing and politics. The internet world has become my ‘table.’
19. You grew up in a very small town, right?
Yes. My hometown has 3,000 people and 25 miles of forest on three sides. Fourth side is the sea. That’s part of the reason SSDA is so passionate about the youth. Living in such a small town, your own world can seem rather small while the rest of planet earth feels like this unfathomable mammoth. Rural and small town kids often get the bar set pretty low for them. Goodness knows, my childhood friends and I had to fight to get our school to offer classes that in most US schools were a given. The idea that some of us had dreams that might extend further than Oregon was often dismissed. Obviously, there were some souls that thought different. Thank God! Although I confess, while I’ve always been a dreamer, I didn’t see South Africa coming. Life truly is more interesting with the unexpected twists.
20. So are you anti-small town?
Heck, no! I love small towns and rural areas. They’ve got character. And character makes good fodder for stories. But even as a young child I realised there is a huge difference between choosing to live in a small town and being trapped in one.
21. Last question – What are you doing on Short Story Day?
Wishing I wasn’t where I’ll be. But the cranky times will lead to good times. So there we are, the cliché is true: No pain, no gain.
http://shortstorydayafrica.org/
Twitter @shortstoryAFR and on Facebook : Short Story Day Africa
Reserve your copy of the anthologies SSDA is putting together by this year by donating to their Indiegogo Campaign.
by Protea Boekhuis on 13 Jun 2013
Dit is aand in Wemelstad. Mense en diere slaap rustig – oftewel, sommige. Ander is in die laat ure eers oppad êrens heen en hulle beleef opwindende dinge soos ’n Boekwurmaand in die biblioteek, ’n partytjie in die park of aanskou selfs hoe die polisie ’n dief vastrek. Rotraut Susanne Berner se boek vertel van vladderende vlêrmuise, maanligstappies en snoesige beddens. Van allerhande dinge wat op ’n luilekker somersaand in Wemelstad gebeur.
Hierdie publikasie is ook beskikbaar in Engels as After dark in Scurryville.
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’n Oulike kykboek met illustrasies van Fimo-klei gemaak deur Ann de Bode.
Ons reis deur die tyd vanaf die Neanderdalmens tot nou, en sien hoe hulle woon, hulself warm hou, watter troeteldiere hulle aanhou en soveel meer!
Ook besikbaar in Engels as My Family: A journey through time.
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Tommie is rasend honger en maak vir hom die grootste toebroodjie wat jy nog ooit gesien het. Wil jy ook ’n happie hê?
Tommie maak sy ma se kombuiskaste leeg om vir hom die grootste toebroodjie ter wêreld te maak. Sal die toebroodjie met die sjokoladesmeer, mosterd, sjokoladevermicelli, rosyntjies, appelkooskonfyt, grondboontjiebotter, ’n lepel soet heuning en bykans die hele yskasinhoud genoeg wees om Tommie se groot honger te stil? Kom kyk bietjie hoe lyk ’n toringhoë toebroodjie!
Hierdie publikasie is ook in Engels beskikbaar, Sammy and the Skyscraper Sandwich.
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In die middel van die nag sien Martiens dit vir die eerste keer: die vlinders. Hulle vlieg om sy kop rond, een miljoen van hulle. Martiens weet nie waar die vlinders vandaan kom nie, maar sy ouers verstaan. “Dis tyd om te gaan,” sê hulle en gee vir hom alles wat hy op pad sal nodig kry.
Een miljoen vlinders is ’n verhaal oor grootword, weggaan, verlief word en weer huis toe kom.
Bekroon met ’n Zilveren Griffel 2008 en die Plantin-Moretusprys 2008.
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Martie is ’n ongeduldige, woelige kind.
Alles moet sommer dadelik gebeur. Nou! Dadelik!
Haar ouma is net soos sy en dié twee verstaan mekaar goed. Op ’n dag word Ouma siek en sy kan haar woorde nie meer vind nie. Die grootmense behandel die siek vrou asof sy ’n kind is, maar vir Martie is sy steeds die kragtige, pragtige ouma wat net sy verstaan.
’n Ontroerende storie en ’n wondermooi prenteboek vir jonk en oud.
Boekbesonderhede
Keina Swart, kinderboekskrywer van Bleek Bennie se woeste hoes en redakteur van Die Pos-koerant op Bela-Bela, skryf in haar gereelde rubriek vir Rapport oor die man in die overall.
May
