Written by Cape Town journalist Miles Masterson, The Oom reveals the extraordinary life of John Whitmore, a visionary who transformed South Africa’s relationship with ocean sport and beach culture.

This richly illustrated biography is a must-have for anyone who loves the sea, adventure and local history.

John Whitmore was the first person to ride a surfboard on the Cape’s Atlantic coast, and his passion for surfing sparked a movement that would echo across generations. He established the country’s first surfboard brand, identified world-class breaks like Elands Bay and Jeffreys Bay, and nurtured the rise of Springbok surfing, opening the door for South African talent on the global stage.

For two decades, listeners tuned in to his daily surf report on Radio Good Hope, making him a trusted voice in the surf community. His appearance in Bruce Brown’s iconic film The Endless Summer introduced him to the world and cemented his status as a trailblazer. Affectionately known as ‘The Doyen’, Whitmore continued to innovate by bringing the Hobie Cat and Morey Boogie to South Africa, sparking new waves of ocean-sport enthusiasm.

The Oom is not only the biography of a man ahead of his time, it is a celebration of the coastal lifestyle that so many South Africans cherish today. It will inspire long-time surfers, weekend wave chasers, sailing and beach culture fans, and anyone interested in the story of how a single person can change a country’s sporting identity.

The Frank Daniels Trio were a singing, dancing, comedy sensation. A Wow Top of the Bill Socko Frank, the manager, was always on the left. Tony, the comedy man, was always on the right. Both men adored the girl in the middle - the beautiful Sarah. The perfect recipe for an entangled triangle. Sarah yearned for the more exciting Tony to declare his love, but it was the stable Frank who made the first move. She accepted. And so they married and lived happily - well, almost - ever after. That was in the 60's. Music changed. Styles changed. The trio disbanded. Sarah often thought about Tony. Tony wondered about Sarah. And when, years later, the three friends re-unite, memories and yearnings return - this time offering a second chance for true happiness. Will they dare to take it? With stand-up comedy and 'grumpy old men', this emotional roller coaster of a play will confirm the old adage that 'truth will out'.

A Best Book of 2020: The Washington Post * NPR * Chicago Tribune * Smithsonian A "remarkable" (Los Angeles Times), "seductive" (The Wall Street Journal) debut from the new cohost of Radiolab, Why Fish Don't Exist is a dark and astonishing tale of love, chaos, scientific obsession, and--possibly--even murder. "At one point, Miller dives into the ocean into a school of fish...comes up for air, and realizes she's in love. That's how I felt: Her book took me to strange depths I never imagined, and I was smitten." --The New York Times Book Review David Starr Jordan was a taxonomist, a man possessed with bringing order to the natural world. In time, he would be credited with discovering nearly a fifth of the fish known to humans in his day. But the more of the hidden blueprint of life he uncovered, the harder the universe seemed to try to thwart him. His specimen collections were demolished by lightning, by fire, and eventually by the 1906 San Francisco earthquake--which sent more than a thousand discoveries, housed in fragile glass jars, plummeting to the floor. In an instant, his life's work was shattered. Many might have given up, given in to despair. But Jordan? He surveyed the wreckage at his feet, found the first fish that he recognized, and confidently began to rebuild his collection. And this time, he introduced one clever innovation that he believed would at last protect his work against the chaos of the world. When NPR reporter Lulu Miller first heard this anecdote in passing, she took Jordan for a fool--a cautionary tale in hubris, or denial. But as her own life slowly unraveled, she began to wonder about him. Perhaps instead he was a model for how to go on when all seemed lost. What she would unearth about his life would transform her understanding of history, morality, and the world beneath her feet. Part biography, part memoir, part scientific adventure, Why Fish Don't Exist is a wondrous fable about how to persevere in a world where chaos will always prevail.

This book is a journey through the arts and green architecture and the history of architecture, spirituality both Christian and eastern philosophy and poetry.

In her early twenties, university-educated Bex took over her mother's hairdressing salon rather than begin a teaching career. Now Bex is approaching 40 and her salon is under fierce competition from a newcomer across the road, precipitating a crisis with Heidi, her friend who works for her. Her husband Max has planned a surprise 40th birthday party for her, though it's not much of a surprise and in fact rather unwelcome. As the two women attend to their clients, I Want That Hair looks without flinching at what turning 40 can mean to someone who has never really been anywhere in their life, and is just beginning to realise that they probably never will.

The play examines the idea that Winston Churchill had advance warning of the attack on Coventry. Was Coventry sacrificed for the greater good? Or to provoke and hasten America's entry into the war?

It's good to meet up with old friends ... or perhaps not When Nigel arranges a reunion in the back room of a pub, he is optimistic of a good turnout. Whilst the numbers disappoint him, he soon has his hands full when a motley middle-aged threesome turn up, bringing with them assorted wives, girlfriends, prejudices, and resentments that have simmered for the last twenty-five years. As the evening unfolds, the men are forced to reassess their old alliances and reflect on their lives, as the women are increasingly struck by the futility of the whole exercise Comedy and confusion combine in this hilarious but poignant story of 'small people' in a 'big world'.

During embalming an arm jerks and strikes a mortician, leaving him unmoored. A pastor’s wife encounters a young congregant in her kitchen wearing her apron and preparing breakfast. A man’s attempt to make sense of why a tornado picked him up leads to a showdown with a cult leader. A daydreaming, gawky kid is appointed guardian of a watermelon that the ocean could snatch away. Love comes slowly, like water heating over a low fi re or extra sugar being stirred into tea. In another story, the love of a father cannot save his musician son. A young woman living in a recognisable future contemplates the end of memory as her body transforms into the silver promise of a carapace. Another young woman feels she should be smiling but nothing stirs in her when her father wakes from death aft er 15 minutes. Battling portentous pre-dawn heat and still air, a bystander abandons removing caterpillars from a Ficus because the idea of touching them makes her squeamish. Elsewhere in the suburbs, in a fi xerupper from hell, crickets screech and squeal, their ringing like that of a demented alarm clock.

When Water Wants To presents the fi nalists of the DALRO Can Themba short story award. Celebrating the legacy of master storyteller Can Themba, this collection provokes, inspires, challenges and entertains with bold storytelling and keen social commentary. The stories range from the deeply personal to the wildly allegorical, playing with genre conventions and inhabiting a multitude of perspectives and unruly voices. These exciting new authors confi rm the pre-eminence of the short story, and its oral antecedents, by delving into the national psyche in the conversations they have, the connections they make, and the themes, concerns and water-soaked imagery they share.