events
POETRY READING ON THURSDAY 8 MAY 2025. Join us for an evening of poetry readings from the anthology and a discussion of the workshops led by editors Tom Penfold, Adam Levin and Deirdre Byrne, featuring some vibrant new poetic voices. In April 2024, a group of aspiring poets of all ages and from diverse backgrounds came together for a series of interactive poetry workshops. Poetry Non-Scenes is a compilation of some of the exciting poetry produced during these workshops.
Join us for the launch and reading of Brave Like Me with Zulaikha Patel, the fearless advocate for equality, in her incredible journey that began at just 13! Set against the backdrop of Pretoria High School for Girls, Zulaikha courageously took a stand against discriminatory hair policies, igniting a nationwide movement for change. This inspiring tale, recounted in Zulaikha’s own words, serves as a beacon of hope and empowerment for young readers everywhere. Come and experience the story of a girl who dared to defy the norms and became a voice for transformation. Rich storytelling and vibrant illustrations come together to celebrate resilience and the power of standing up for what is right. Bring the kids
Join us for a conversation with Raymond Ledwaba, author or The First Generation Founder and CEO of ITTHYNK, which includes a tech academy in SA and Tanzania, the founder and CEO of ITTHYNK Gaming, and the co-founder of Diski Nine9. He successfully migrated from a career in banking to a life of entrepreneurship. Having not been exposed to a start-up environment and suddenly having staff who relied on him for their salaries, this was a plunge into the unknown. In the book he shares wisdom and learnings about being the first to blaze a trail in his lineage.
Join us for the launch of Canary by Onke Mazibuko. After years of loyal work for Arms-Tech Industries, Maks has found proof of serious corruption in his department. Tender fraud, illegal kickbacks, inflated contracts, the same old story. Maks wants to do something about it, turn whistleblower. What else can a good man do?
In this compelling and harrowing account of a whistleblower, Onke creates a nail-biting, paranoid thriller about a good man pushed to the limit. Drawing from all too real instances of corruption and collapse, this book shows what such a system does to those who still listen to their conscience.
Join us for an exciting evening of Poetry reading, an audio book experience and discussion with editor Qhali, award winning contributors and book translators in conversation with vangile gantsho about Loss iLahleko Book Series.
Join Mashudu, a brave and curious young girl, on a magical journey to understand her feelings of sadness and worry. With the guidance of her kind-hearted friend, Dr Hope, Mashudu discovers her superpower of caring and learns that it’s okay to feel different emotions. Through heartwarming lessons about how to use her superpowers, she finds ways to manage her feelings and spread kindness to those around her. This beautifully illustrated story is perfect for children and parents to read together, offering valuable lessons in emotional intelligence and resilience.
Join us for the launch of Love, Marry, Kill by author Zukiswa Wanner for an evening filled with dialogue, literary engagement, and reflection on the complexities of love, commitment, and consequences. The event will feature a conversation between Wanner and Prof. Danai Mupotsa. Confirm your attendance by registering on this link – https://forms.office.com/r/i42ZnAjHPG
Kitchen Wisdom: What We Hate to Hear but Need to Know About Men and Romance is a sincere, relatable and raw guide to romance, relationships, and men. Drawing on the timeless advice of mothers, aunties, and grandmothers, Kitchen Wisdom is a heartfelt and practical guide for women who are done with fairy tales and false promises. It is a call to revisit the tried-and-true lessons from loving communities of wise women.
The book covers 7 core wisdoms: – Feminine and Masculine Energies Shape the Game – Never Chase a Man – A Man Is What He Does, Not What He Says – Do Not Do Wife Things When You Are Not the Wife – Ground Yourself in Cultural Intelligence – Beauty Is a Gift, Not an Achievement – A Fulfilled Woman is an Attractive Woman Kitchen Wisdom ultimately reminds us that strong relationships with other women are complementary and necessary in having a balanced view of romance.
Compiled by acclaimed children’s book author Refiloe Moahloli, this book features traditional and contemporary works in the rainbow nation’s 11 official spoken languages, each accompanied by an English translation. All That I Am encourages readers to explore a vibrant tapestry of South African culture with this enchanting treasury of songs and poems, curated especially for young readers.
Join us as we celebrate this masterful creation, which is necessary for every home and school library
Following the success of her first book, Disaster at Gogo’s Spaza, Salaminah has come up with a second book also targeting young readers between the ages of 6 and 9 years old. In the book, Tumi and the twins are back again, this time, Gogo’s Goodies Spaza transforms into a culinary battleground during The Great Soweto Cook-Off! When Gogo Tina decides to enter the prestigious competition, Tumi thinks she has the perfect plan: she and her twin cousins will surprise Gogo and help her win the competition by any creative means necessary..
This is a book about a changing South Africa, mirrored in and made vivid by the lives of the Bam family. This book is, in short story of a family that survived and even benefited from colonial conquest that managed to keep integrity and self-assurance under the degradation of apartheid and that went on to comfort the difficulties and opportunities of the post 1994 dispensation.
Patient 12A is Lesedi Molefi’s absorbing memoir, reflecting on his time spent in a psychiatric clinic in 2016. With vulnerability and candour, Lesedi reflects on the moments, large and small, that led him there. It is at once a personal history, an observation of how childhood experiences can have a profound effect on the adults we become, and a commentary on how mental illness remains a difficult conversation in black families. Patient 12A is Lesedi Molefi’s absorbing memoir, reflecting on his time spent in a psychiatric clinic in 2016. With vulnerability and candour, Lesedi reflects on the moments, large and small, that led him there.
On The Stage of Time” chronicles extraordinary life of a school girl who became steeped in ANC struggle for freedom I the mid-70s. As a teenager Sikose Mji became involved in clandestine underground and mass mobilization work which drew the attention of the Special Branch compelling her to leave South Africa to find refuge in the ANC community in exile. Amb. Mji is a former senior civil servant and diplomat who has served in Warsaw, Cotonou and Lusaka
Following the runaway success that was Thicker Than Water is The Family Matriarch by Rudzani Khashane. The book has all the hallmarks of a juicy family saga. Join us for the launch where the author will be in conversation with Lorraine Sithole.
Join Ouma Katrina Esau on her inspiring journey and discover the power of language and the importance of never giving up on your dreams.
Esau Katrina and her family are forbidden from speaking their language, N|uu, but they continue to do so secretly. For many years N|uu is rarely spoken and nearly disappears. But Katrina is determined to save her language.
N|uu holds stories of hunters and gatherers, of starry nights and connections to our ancestors. It’s a language that sings the songs of the land.
Come learn from one of the best Children’s book author in the country. Refiloe is the best-selling and award-winning author of How many ways can you say hello? and How many ways can you say goodbye? Yes Yanga!, We Are One, Know My Name, You Are Loved and Part of a Team. Her awards include a South African Literary Award and South African Book Awards. We Are One is included in the 2022 IBBY Honour List (International Board on Books for Young People) and was awarded the 2022 IBBY SA Picture Book Award
The book tells the tale of a nameless woman plagued by visions. She works for the Good Foundation and its museum, a place filled with artifacts from the family’s various explorations in Africa, the Good family members all being descendants of Captain John Good, of KING SOLOMON’S MINES fame. The novel explores how the continent’s past continues to haunt its present and examines the collusion of colonialism, patriarchy and capitalism in creating and normalising a certain kind of womanhood.
Folklore Literature Talks as part of the Folklore Festival 24 – Folklore Festival is all about building community through collaborations that celebrate and embrace diversity! At the heart of it is storytelling, intergenerational dialogue and showcasing and sharing our Indigenous Knowledge Systems through music, poetry, literature, art, and dance! Entrance to the session is free – please book your seat on the link below – https://qkt.io/FolkloreFestival2024BookCircleCapital12September
Join us for the launch of two books from some of the greatest minds in the country, Lukhanyo Publishers. NGOs, Africa and Global Power by Prof. Siphamandla Zondi and Reading: Biko: Critical and Reflective Essays.
Join us for the launch of Cross of Gold – an expansive, heartrending, anger-inducing portrayal of Black life in South Africa after the Sharpeville massacre of 1960. Through the experiences of a range of characters, chiefly Mandla Zikode and his mother, Sindisiwe, the novel portrays the Sharpeville massacre and its brutal aftermath, the hardship of exile, and the brutal impact of the apartheid regime on Black lives and personhood.
Join us for the launch of The City Is Mine with world renowned South African author Niq Mhlongo. Mangi searches for meaning as he makes his way through the streets of Joburg in The City Is Mine. “The city is mine is a book of harsh grind and grime and the realities of basic needs for survival in the city: a world of street vendors, domestic workers, taxi drivers, ladies of the night, vetkoeks, hard liquor, traditional shops, petty thieves and hardened criminals who bring and carry with them the smells and noises of the inner city and townships” – Mpush Ntabeni.
Join the conversation on our creative platform #WeTheFolk for 30 days of Contemplating 30 years of Freedom in 3 Cities on 24 August 2024 at the theatre at Artistry, Sandton ,Johannesburg for a Book Fair curated by BOOK CIRCLE CAPITAL and facilitated by Pendoring award-winner, SEWELA LANGENI themed: ‘Enter a generation of Young Women Writers’, we present authors, JANINE JELLARS & ZIBUZETHU SITHOLE
join us for the launch of Izimpabanga Zomhlaba on Tuesday, 13 August 2024. This is a new isiZulu translation that brings his work to the masses, new for students by Prof Makhosazana Xaba. Frantz Fanon became one of the most important thinkers on 20th century colonialism, racial segregation, and this, his magnificent work, which is timeless along with Orientalism and The Autobiography of Malcolm X. Crossroads of the World is an incisive study of psychology of the colonized and their path to freedom.
What happens when a novelist, a poet, an artist and an art critic walk into a bookshop? Join us for a discussion and reading of works by David Mann, Anna Stroud, Salimah Valiani and Serena Moodley. RSVP on email address below.
Book Circle Capital is proud to collaborate with Folkore Festival 2024. The Festival is aimed at driving a gathering of communities to celebrate each other’s culture, creativity and heritage. To have resonant conversations, to hold space for our shared values and to contribute to nation-building. This year’s theme is centred around contemplating 30 years of Freedom – #WETHEFOLK. This year, Festival goers can expect a rich line-up of Artivists and Storytellers: from authors, filmmakers, thespians, and oral traditionalists, to poets, selectors, sound curators and musicians.
Three book sessions are planned during the 30 day celebration starting with the first session that will be held in Pretoria on 9 August 2024 in line with the Women’s Month focus. Visit – https://folklore.community/ for the full line up and tickets info
Bring the kids to experience the magic. Take this amazing journey with Gregory Vuyani Maqoma, multi-award-winning dancer and choreographer, through his extraordinary life, and feel the magic of dance in this astonishing tale.
June has worked hard for her family, but she is starting to feel like the dull accountant trope. She is safe and comfortable and bored. June wants more. And on the eve of the new year, when the radio DJ encourages listeners to make the most of it, June feels like he’s talking to her, and she decides to make a vision board — magazine cutouts, silver glitter and all.
Join us for an engaged discussion around the critical work of Black women’s nonfiction, and the urgent need for creative and radical platforms of support. In conversation will be Momtaza Mehri, Panashe Chigumadze, Victoria Collis-Buthelezi and Cassava Republic Press founder and Director Bibi Bakare-Yusuf. This unique gathering is collaboratively presented by Cassava Republic Press, the Johannesburg Institute for Advance Study (JIAS), the Centre for the Study of Race, Gender & Class (RGC), and Book Circle Capital.
Join us for the launch of “Not Afraid of Greatness: From the Pen of a Provocateur” is Acting Judge Bongani Luthuli’s attempt at narrating his first draft of history as well as some of the thoughts that vex him and keep him awake at night. It is an antidote to invisibility and the writer writes not so much as an attempt to curate an intellectual legacy but to create his own scholarship based largely on his life experiences and his intellectual curiosity. It details some of his most operant cases and exposes the reader to his triple heritage of the law, religion and intellectualism.