Karina Author, Book, Event

EVER AFTER, THE END: Consuelo Roland and Lucienne Bestall in conversation

Mortality forms a thematic throughline in both Consuelo’s first novel, The Good Cemetery Guide (2005), and Lucienne’s debut collection of non-fiction essays, Except for Breath: Reflections on Image and Memory (2025). The authors’ mutual curiosity about death – and what it might teach us about love and longing – is differently explored in their respective genres. While Consuelo tells the story of a funeral director who leads a double life alongside the recently departed, Lucienne considers the ways art and literature have pictured and described ‘the only possible ending’.

Consuelo is a writer working across fiction, non-fiction and poetry. Her debut novel, The Good Cemetery Guide, was shortlisted for the Sunday Times Fiction Prize and the Olive Schreiner Award, and was recently reissued by Karavan Press.

Lucienne is a curatorial researcher and writer. She has contributed to leading local and international art publications and journals, and her essay collection, Except for Breath: Reflections on Image and Memory, was published by Karavan Press in 2025.

Consuelo and Lucienne live in Cape Town.

WEDNESDAY, 28 January 2026, 10:30AM – MEADOWRIDGE LIBRARY HALL
WEDNESDAY, 18 March 2026, 10:00AM – PINELANDS LIBRARY COMMITEE ROOM

Karina Book

Karavan Stories 2026: Workshop and Anthology

PLEASE NOTE THAT KARAVAN STORIES 2026 IS FULLY BOOKED AS OF 15 January 2026.

After the success of Tiger: Karavan Stories 2023, Temperature: Karavan Stories 2024 and Secrets: Karavan Stories 2025 be part of the fourth Karavan Stories anthology! We will meet again for a writing workshop at the end of March and together analyse what makes a good short story, read examples, go through a few writing exercises, begin exploring ideas for new stories and in the following months write, edit and compile an anthology of stories which will be published by Karavan Press.

WORKSHOP DATE: Saturday, 21 March 2026, 9:00 – 15:00

VENUE: 6 Banksia Road, Rosebank, 7700 Cape Town

PUBLICATION DATE: End of 2026

FEE: R3 900

Includes: workshop, catering during the day of the workshop, guidance and feedback, editing, proofreading, 5 copies of the anthology and the option to submit your next manuscript to Karavan Press.

Maximum number of participants: 16 (ONLY 7 SPOTS STILL AVAILABLE, book as soon as possible to avoid disappointment).

To book your spot, contact Karina: Karavan Stories 2026

FACILITATOR / EDITOR:

Karina M. Szczurek is the author and (co)editor of numerous works of fiction and non-fiction. She won the MML Literature Award in the Category English Drama in 2012, received the Thomas Pringle Award for a portfolio of ad hoc reviews from the English Academy of Southern Africa in 2018, the HSS Award for Best Fiction Edited Volume in 2024 and the CANEX Prize for Publishing in Africa in 2025. She is a board member of Short Story Day Africa. In 2019, she founded Karavan Press, an independent publishing house, and a year later, established the Philida Literary Award.

Karina Uncategorized

Let’s Be Legends by Chantal Stewart to be launched at EB Cavendish

Please join us for the launch of Let’s Be Legends, the debut poetry collection by Chantal Stewart.

RSVP: Exclusive Books

‘In Let’s Be Legends, Chantal Stewart leads the reader into her intimate life and asks us to bear witness to her love of the land and family, nature and the night sky, and to her connection to a foreign city and to loves. She also shows us the comfort of a mature love, getting married and building a home with that love. At the centre of this collection is the curious poet who asks us to pay attention to the small things – the tortoise, a field mouse, red dust, the smell of paraffin, pink toenails, eggshells, a child’s kite; and to big issues – gender-based violence, war, refugees and displacement. Her call is for you to feel life. You also have to admire a poet who uses the word paraphernalia and makes it sing.’—KERRY HAMMERTON

Karina Book, Event, Festival

Karavan Press and Indeed Books authors at the Cape Flats Book Festival 2026

The Cape Flats Book Festival 2026 is just around the corner and it is the perfect start to the literary festival calendar of the new year. A few Karavan Press and Indeed Books authors feature on the wonderful programme that has something to offer for every literary desire. We can’t wait for these two days of bookish encounters. Please join us!

SATURDAY, 31 January 2026

10:45-11:25

13:30-14:10

14:25-15:05

15:20-16:00

SUNDAY, 1 February 2026

12:45-13:25

13:40-14:20

Click here for the entire programme:

CAPE FLATS BOOK FESTIVAL 2026

We are looking forward to seeing you all there!

Karina Author, Book, Distribution, Literary Awards

Karavan Press in 2025

Twenty new titles, several prize nominations, three wins, a big move and an abundance of stories to tell – that in a nutshell was 2025. And what a ride it has been; again! No wonder my body is telling me to rest. And I am about to, but before I put my keyboard away for a month of restoring my well-being, I would like to celebrate the highlights of the publishing year that is coming to an end …

PRIZE NOMINATIONS

Crooked Seeds by Karen Jennings longlisted for the Women’s Prize

Land | Lines by Shari Daya and Good Hope by Nick Clelland shortlisted for the HSS Awards

In Silence My Heart Speaks by Thobeka Yose, Good Hope by Nick Clelland and Who Looks Inside by Anna Stroud longlisted for the Sunday Times Literary Awards

Crooked Seeds by Karen Jennings shortlisted for the Sunday Times Literary Awards

Who Looks Inside shortlisted for the UJ Debut Prize

The JDL Award for Poetry: honourable mention given to Land | Lines by Shari Daya

Good Hope by Nick Clelland shortlisted for the SALA Novel Award

A Collection of Gaps by Frankie Murrey and Lone Wolf Living by Werner Pretorius shortlisted for The Book Lounge’s Book of the Year Award

WINS

Who Looks Inside by Anna Stroud won the HSS Award for Best Fiction Emerging Author 

Love Stories for Ghosts by Alex Latimer won the HSS Award for Best Fiction Short Stories

Karavan Press won the Creative Africa Nexus (CANEX) Book Factory Prize for Publishing in Africa for In Silence My Heart Speaks by Thobeka Yose

IN OTHER GOOD NEWS

Mannequin Pictures optioned Good Hope by Nick Clelland

Ice Shock by Elleke Boehmer has been picked up by Valley Press and will be published in the UK next year

NEW TITLES OF 2025

Among these is our first boox (the book that is a box) – Frankie Murrey’s stunning new collection of short stories which we published in a limited, special edition – as a box containing stories and other treasures: A Collection of Gaps. 

Ek’t Act by Klara du Plessis, a collection of exquisite poetry, is our first book written in Afrikaans and English.

And I am thrilled that we are continuing with two story projects: IN OTHER STORIES edited by Kerry Hammerton, now in its second year, and KARAVAN STORIES Workshop & Anthology, now in its third year, are both thriving.

ALL ABOUT PHILIPPI

One of the greatest honours for Stephen Symons and me this year was to assist Andrew Brown with the publication of this incredible book: All About Philippi

Towards the end of 2024, Andrew visited iThemba Labantu Primary School in the crime-stricken area of Philippi, Cape Town, to talk to the Grade 7 learners about creative writing. To welcome him, the learners prepared short pieces on how they experienced life as a child growing up amidst poverty and violence. These are their unedited writings. At their request, some names have been changed and some withheld. This publication is distributed for free and aims to highlight the extraordinary trauma that our youth are exposed to every day, and their resilience and determination to express themselves nonetheless.

Andrew will be speaking about this remarkable book at the Cape Flats Book Festival 2026. Not to be missed! You can get a free copy of All About Philippi at The Book Lounge.

INDEED BOOKS

Recognising a need for a carefully curated platform where self-published authors can find a home, Kerry Hammerton and I started INDEED BOOKS. Our first three titles:

COFFEE WITH KARAVAN PRESS

A new tradition began at Casa Karavan this year: I hosted five Coffees with Karavan Press – Saturday mornings when readers and writers gathered at my home to chat about their books, the publishing journey and their favourite reads. I loved every one of these mornings and will continue hosting them in 2026.

THE BIG MOVE

Karavan Press had to change distributors this year and we are thrilled that we have now successfully moved to our new distribution partner – BOOKSITE.

All Karavan Press and Indeed Books titles can be ordered by booksellers via Booksite now. Together, we also continue bringing the titles we assist in distributing in South Africa to our local readers.

It has been an astounding year. Despite and because of its many challenges, Karavan Press was forced to grow and restructure and find new ways of being in the world. Not all of it went smoothly, and I have dropped many balls in the process and could not deliver on all my promises this year, but I am not giving up – and I hope that some waits are worth it.

I would like to thank EVERYONE who makes Karavan Press possible – the journey so far has surpassed all my expectations and my wildest dreams. I would like to especially thank the authors who have been waiting patiently for me to deliver on my promises. (The good thing about having to put my keyboard away is that I can finally tackle the pile of manuscripts that has been waiting to be read for a very looooooong time …)

It is time for rest, for Festive Season and holiday reading, and for another amazing year for Karavan Press, Indeed Books and our Friends!

Happy reading and writing!