Melissa Sussens (she/her) is a queer South African veterinarian, poet and editor.

Slaughterhouse is her debut poetry collection.

Alisha Ramasar, celebrated author, is back with her third highly-anticipated book, Finding 40.

Following the runaway success of her debut novel Picture Perf*cked, Ramasar invites you on an exhilarating and humorous adventure through the emotional ups and downs of approaching the big four-oh, shedding light on the often-overlooked realities of womanhood. With candid wit, heartfelt honesty, and relatable anecdotes, she delves into the experience of aging, comparing it to savouring a fine wine (or perhaps a long-lost bottle of rosé). Throughout her journey, she emphasises that it’s perfectly fine to feel lost and that the chaos of life is what makes it truly exciting.

Whether you’re already feeling the pressure or still contemplating what lies ahead, Finding 40 serves up valuable insights, sprinkled with humour, for anyone pondering their next chapter.

Just shut the F* up and get over yourselves. You've had your chance to make it work, and it didn't. Am I a bit harsh? Of course I am. Maybe because this is the only way some people will take in what is about to go down in this story.

This story is not actually about you. It's about how you and your ex need to get along and make sure you rear children who will actually have a chance at life, because the two of you decided to be civilised and make that child your priority. Why do we say such hurtful things to each other after divorce?! We bad mouth each other when we around other people and confront of the kids.

The mother of your child. The father of your child. The woman or the man you were once so in love with. The one who caused your lack of sleep because you couldnt wait to see them the next day. The one we were so intimate with, and shared those special moments with. The one you built a home with. The one who was there for you through good and bad. The one who was there for you when you needed someone the most. The one we would call five times a day because we were so in love . The one who cooked for you and looked after your children. The one who protected you and made sure you are in a comfortable home. The one who had your back. How easily do we forget that person played such a huge role in our lives.

Do you think people care about you and your problems. Hell no, they have their own issues, their own set of problems to deal with, nevermind your drama. All you are doing, is giving them "bek-werk". We can say whatever we like, but remember those words can never be taken back.

Don't REACT!

Process, take your time, and then respond...

Dit is die jaar 1967. ‘n Tienjarige seun in ‘n disfunksionele mynwerkershuis op die Wesrand is aan die woord. Met gestroopte verse vertel hy van die mense wat instaan en help om sin te gee aan wat om hom gebeur.

Deur hierdie gedigte ervaar die leser die absurditeit van die staatsstelsel in die 60’s asook die wyse waarop ‘n kind sin maak van wat in die grootmenswêreld aangaan.

Sewe van die gedigte is verlede jaar in die bundel Nuwe Stemme 6 opgeneem en het uiters positiewe reaksie ontlok.

Alexandra: A Backstory is a powerful graphic novel that uncovers the hidden history of Alexandra Township, a vibrant and resilient community nestled in Johannesburg.

Through stunning visuals and poignant storytelling, this book reveals the complex web of cultures, lifestyles and socioeconomic realities that define Alex. By amplifying the voices of its people and exploring the remnants of colonialism and apartheid, Alexandra: A Backstory sheds light on the enduring legacy of resistance and endurance that shapes this remarkable community.

Join the journey as we delve into the margins of Joburg and uncover the untold stories that will recalibrate your understanding of this incredible city.

In Skeef deel mediapersoonlikheid Renaldo Schwarp op sy kenmerkend spitvondige manier praktiese advies en verhale oor alle aspekte van gay-wees.

Uitkom, boelies, liefdesverhoudings, skooldae, universiteitsjare, ouers, verteenwoordiging, seksualiteit, geloof - geen onderwerp is taboe nie. Schwarp fokus op die leefwêreld van LGBTIQ+-Suid-Afrikaners, plaas dit in internasionale en historiese kontekste en bied 'n woordeskat. Schwarp vertel sy eie storie. Hy klop ook aan by bekendes soos Rian van Heerden, Marc Lottering, Charl-Johan Lingenfelder, Boer Damian en Joe Foster om 'n genuanseerde beeld van eietydse gay-wees te skets.

In 'n onthutsend eerlike hoofstuk vertel sy ma, Verenia, van die uitdagings van gaykindgrootmaak. Die raakvatters agter die gewilde Mannetjiesvrou-podsending verwelkom jou ook in die voorkamer van die lesbiër.

Selfs al is dinge soms moeiliker vir LGBTIQ-mense, dra Skeef 'n boodskap van hoop oor vir gay mense, hul ouers en bondgenote. Selfaanvaarding, outentisiteit, gesonde verhoudings en geluk is gays beskore - hierdie boek vertel hoe.

Die debat oor emigrasie is so oud soos Suid-Afrika se demokrasie self. Toe die “nuwe Suid-Afrika” in 1994 aangebreek het, het talle mense die land verlaat uit vrees vir wat ‘n meerderheidsbewind sou inhou. Nog meer het in die jare sedertdien getrek opsoek na ‘n beter lewe en Suid-Afrikaanse gemeenskappe is nou in plekke soos Kanada, Engeland en Australië te vinde.

Vandag, 25 jaar ná demokrasie en in die lig van kwynende optimisme oor die toekoms van die land, is daar nuwe lewe in die debat oor emigrasie. Hierdie keer word dit nie net in reaksionêre kringe gevoer nie, maar om die eetkamertafels van meerdere Suid-Afrikaners.

Met die realiteit van nege vermorste jare wat aan ons beursies en toekomsmoontlikhede knaag, en die aanloklike geleenthede wat die globale ekonomie bied, vra al hoe meer mense, “Moet ek waai?”

In Moet ons waai? takel meer as 20 van Suid-Afrika se voorste meningsvormers, insluitend Piet Croucamp, Dana Snyman, Melanie Verwoerd en Jonathan Jansen, hierdie vraag. Dit is poging tot insig oor ‘n kwessie wat swaar weeg op ons kollektiewe psige, en ‘n uitdaging aan elke persoon wat dit oorweeg om te waai, reeds gegaan het of besluit het om te bly om te floreer as Suid-Afrikaners waar ook al hulle hulself mag bevind.

Ons Almal het ʼn Storie gaan oor ʼn gewone paartjie, van jonk en verlief wees, ʼn lewe saam bou en swaarkry wat hul huwelik byna verwoes. Ook oor die dood van geliefdes.

Hierdie boek is bedoel vir mense wat al verlies ervaar het.

Ons almal het een of ander tyd hoop en ʼn reddingsboei nodig. Hierdie boek wil daardie hoop gee; ʼn reddingsboei wees.

Life under lockdown has been a dramatic event. The fourth annual AVBOB Poetry Competition coincided with the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Yet the competition attracted a record number of entries. An excess of 41 000 poems were entered by writers between 7 and 98 years of age.

Six specially commissioned poems by established poets in each official language (66 poems with English translations) appear in this volume, as well as the three winning poems in each of South Africa’s 11 official languages (33 poems with English translations). To round out the collection, those 99 poems are completed by 4 contemporary Khoikhoi poems.

As voices from the past reach into the present, so the voices in this anthology will stretch into the future, when they will be read as a reflection of this terribly interesting time.

These words of beauty and balm by some of South Africa’s finest poets will offer readers a definite taste from diverse voices. The poems on these pages will comfort and console the bereft. Immerse yourself and be inspired, as these flights of imagination uplift your spirit.

Ritmes En Rites is ʼn keur uit die koerantrubrieke van Cas Wepener wat die afgelope sewe jaar in die dagblaaie Beeld en Die Burger, aanlyn op Netwerk24, asook in Vrye Weekblad verskyn het.

Met sy pen verken hy die alledaagse lewens van Suid-Afrikaners, die netwerk verhoudings waarin hulle staan en karteer so veranderende tye.

TEENAGERS ARE THE LEADERS OF TOMORROW. THIS BOOK IS AN EMPOWERING GUIDE THAT WILL BUILD A NEW GENERATION OF LEADERS WHO ARE READY TO MAKE THEIR MARK AND OWN THEIR SPACE IN THE WORLD.

Teenage years can be tumultuous with all the challenges teenagers face and all the choices they have to make. Many of these choice affect their future and the consequences (good or bad) are often visible all the way into adulthood. Maneuvering Teenage Life is much more than just an all-encompassing life manual; it is an accountability partner and a go-to-guide to help teenagers navigate this very important season of their lives with ease.

The power of this guide lies in the practical principles that teens can apply in their everyday lives. Each chapter has a “Teaching Lesson” which reinforces specific concepts for adulthood, as well as a “declaration” section with exercises for them to do. The book outlines the various challenges teens face in different settings such as home, among their peers in society and at school. It offers practical strategies for helping a teen manage and win. Topics range from career, mental & physical wellness to business to money handling.

This book is for teens and adults looking for an inspirational book that encourages them to reach for the stars. In addition to this, Princess’ personal story will inspire teens to stop making excuses and start making plans. Born into poverty in the dusty streets of a township in Mpumalanga, she was determined to defy the odds and break belief barriers; she went on to be the first of her 7 maternal siblings to graduate from high school and pursue education as her way of escaping her hard childhood environment.

Transition from childhood to adulthood with the life changing information in this companion book.

A great self-help book written for personal motivation, inspiration and growth. Extensive research were done prior to publication, which is supported by qualified psychologists.

The author had initially penned Letter from A Father as a letter to his children some 50 years and only recently transformed into a book. It contains powerful lessons on issues such as character, peer pressure, socialization, ethics and success, amongst others.

It is also packed with encouragement, practical strategies and solutions to many real-life issues. It is also rich with impactful quotes

A Man, A Fire, A Corpse tells the story of Captain Amos Maneta: a man who was most often referred to as ‘The Top Cop of Soweto’; as written by his son Rofhiwa Maneta.

The book is a collection of the physical and metaphysical bruises collected by the author’s father in his 30-plus years of working in the police service.

Through his father’s story, Rofhiwa Maneta examines the relationship between police and the public. Maneta’s mix of journalism, remembered history, anecdote and autobiography further discusses the relationship between South Africa and violence; while taking a look at what it takes to be an honest policeman in a department whose groundwater is corruption and maladministration.

Broken Porcelain is not just a book of essays describing one Black woman’s experience of mental illness, but rather a memoir-in-essays that shatters the walls of our hearts and guides us towards empathy – all while providing social commentary that demystifies stigmas of mental illness.

In her singular lyrical prose, Relebone Rirhandzu eAfrika covers topics such as social media’s role in how we view depression, generational trauma, what self-care really is, taking anti-depressant medication, and finding love when you are mentally ill.

The author writes with poignant honesty about the darkness of her mental illness and breaks down what mental illness is (and is not).

Yusuf is at it again, but this time bringing us some epic stories of his three kids which he calls his dragons.
From the one dragon almost being airlifted by an eagle, to the other dragon who decided to use the Sun City pool as his toilet.. My little dragon is now pulling out as many feathers of that eagle as she can. Is mos self-defense. The Trainer is going befukkk, as half a bird has been plucked already. Just then I'm thinking of applying for a job for this child at County Fair. This child mos knows how to pluck man.

Christine Coates casts her eye over the arc of her life, sweeping from childhood memories to life under Covid-19 lockdown. In richly crafted poems, she recalls the sights and sounds of childhood from party lines to fêtes, to a beloved grandparent and early loss.

Life as a young woman in Johannesburg comes with its own pleasures and early love. There are poems of her travel; of the quiet intimacies of a long marriage and meditations on aging. Politics is echoed in the resounding roar of Marikana and a woman’s performance art.

And then there is life under Covid-19 lockdown and the small pleasures of baking bread and growing quinces.

Bevat baie figure en foto's. Daar is duisende soorte soetrissie. Dit is 'n gewilde speserye wat oral in die wêreld voorkom. Baie mense hou van soetrissies. Sommige mense verwerf uitgebreide kennis en begin die beste variëteite versamel. Diegene wat van goeie kos hou, ervaar groot tevredenheid as hulle die versameling tuisgemaakte soetrissies wys. Op hierdie manier kan gaste hul gunsteling geur kies. In die somer- en herfsmaande kan die gekleurde vrugte direk van hul plante gepluk word om onmiddellik op die tafel bedien te word met al die kleure en aromas.

Daar is baie soorte soetrissies wat kandidate is vir "die warmste peper ter wêreld". Die pittige Habanero-peper was lank aan die bokant van die lys. Boonop aan die bokant van die Guinness Book of Records vind u die peper "Trinidad Scorpion Moruga" of die "Carolina Reaper".

Hierdie boek sal u op 'n eenvoudige en volledige manier al die inligting gee vir die kweek van soetrissies. 'n Paar blompotte op 'n klein terras is voldoende vir goeie resultate. Verder sal hierdie boek die tegniek vir die kweek van peperplante wat nie aan die einde van die seisoen sterf nie, bekend maak.

Drawing on the South African case, this book looks at shifts in higher education around the world in the last two decades. In South Africa, calls for transformation have been heard in the university since the last days of apartheid. Similar claims for quality higher education to be made available to all have been made across the African continent. In spite of this, inequalities remain and many would argue that these have been exacerbated during the Covid pandemic.

Understanding Higher Education responds to these calls by arguing for a social account of teaching and learning by contesting dominant understandings of students as ‘decontextualised learners’ premised on the idea that the university is a meritocracy.

This book tackles the issue of teaching and learning by looking both within and beyond the classroom. It looks at how higher education policies emerged from the notion of the knowledge economy in the newly democratic South Africa, and how national qualification frameworks and other processes brought the country more closely into conversation with the global order. The effects of this on staffing and curriculum structures are considered alongside a proposition for alternative ways of understanding the role of higher education in society.

While under lockdown, women's work expanded exponentially, especially care work at home, including emotional care work. What the pandemic exposed is the unpaid care work that most women perform. Midway through the stages of lockdown researchers started to do surveys to find out what is happening to women, expressing the results of the research in statistical terms. Yet, this research does not get to the heart of the matter: women's lived experience of an historical epoch - of a virus spreading at breakneck speed across geographical boundaries, condemning the whole world to viral infections, state sanctioned lockdowns and death.

This has never happened before, so no-one was prepared for what was to come and how to handle the crisis. This collection of essays captures the existential feelings of anxiety, angst and uncertainty. They also express exhaustion, discovering new dimensions of life and rethinking priorities in the face of a rupture of what has gone before. What we hear in these essays are the voices of women speaking to this pandemic and what lockdown has meant to them and for them.

Some essays are written with raw emotion, others in beautiful poetic prose, some in poetry. Through the essays runs a golden thread of coming to terms with a new way of life and what it means to be a woman, a mother, a partner, a friend and a Covid-19 victim in the year that will be known as the year of the pandemic. The writers are from all walks and stages of life and the book represents stories from a range of different countries.

This collection of essays will help readers to make sense of the impact of Covid-19 on everyday reality.

A compelling, diverse, and often bizarre array of anecdotes that will help you navigate your business and personal lives in this most peculiar of worlds.

What do the knees of a deputy president, a blow-up doll and a model with big nipples have in common? They all taught the author valuable life lessons. Hustling, Happiness, and a Blow-Up Doll Named Percy tells moving personal stories from Dale Hefer’s life: from an award-winning marketing career culminating in becoming businesswoman of the year to her journey to sobriety, and provides key lessons and essential life and business tips. For example, why everyone needs a ‘Percy’ (a creative idea or simply the drive to do what one must to get things done). In addition to her own conclusions, Dale draws on the wisdom of her favourite philosophers – the Stoics, business partners, friends and, of course, her mum!

Using real-life experiences and humorous stories, Dale Hefer shows how to make some sense of this strange world and shares tips about how to navigate it so you, too, can find your own brand of happiness and learn sound business lessons along the way.

12 Crucial lessons on entrepreneurship; offering a fresh perspective, savvy advice and practical measures to put into place.

The journey of an entrepreneur means being a risk-taker, a visionary, a leader, a pit bull and essentially a superhero all rolled into one. Nevi Letcher found herself doing this. She worked her way up in corporate, invested in her personal development and climbed the ladder fast, racing down the same track every day, plugging holes, negotiating deals, coaching and directing her team, developing and tweaking successful strategies to bring big brands to life. She only really learned about business when she started her own agency and she reveals aspects that business school didn't teach her.

In Mind Your Own Business, Nevi shares what she learned and how she managed to implement strategies that saw her business grow and grow.

Find something you want to do – and then just do it. That's how real entrepreneurs always start. This is your time. Make your mark on the world.

Why not Annapurna or Machu Pichu? Why always the 'same old' Camino? A question carried with an almost sigh, a question often asked of Sharon. Many learners seek a teacher to support and stretch them in their learning, and for Sharon, there is no fiercer or more forthright teacher than the Camino de Santiago.

A teacher that calls its learners to walk lightly in their judgements, opinions, and assumptions, yet firmly in their flexibility, curiosity, and wonder, while stepping the practical path between Saint Jean Pied de Port and Santiago de Compostela. A teacher that calls some learners once - or maybe twice - in their lifetime, while repeatedly sounding the call to others.

Journey with Sharon, on this, her ninth Camino, into her stories of struggle, sweetness, significance, and soul. Stories she tells through a series of imagined letters written to very real people whom she encountered along 'The Way'. Stories as much about them and the path as about her, and the journey into what it means to be human, in all its imperfection, improbability, mystery, and magic.

Although the book is about how the suggested mindful program can replace detention, in schools, it will also be insightful for the reader to discover oneself and place him or herself on a new journey with new goals and motivation. To understand mindfulness, you must understand yourself.

To be mindful, one must discover oneself through real knowledge. The book aims to give you a dependable guideline as to how to implement a mindful program in your school. It is advisable that you have an in-depth knowledge of mindfulness, how to manage the internal self, how to understand others before you can implement a program of this nature in your school.

Your operating system (cemented beliefs), which has been developed and embedded over the years, should be formatted, removing the constant negative voice that keeps talking in the background. The voice that is telling you that you are not good enough, not pretty enough, not rich enough, not smart enough. Think for a moment. You are not good enough comparing to who?

Yusuf brings another epic book to life with some hard-hitting stories with his usual craziness added. From gold deals at KFC to hustling in China, not forgetting his near-death experiences. Stories that you feel like you were there. Following on his previous best selling books Living Coloured: (because Black and White Were Already Taken) and Living Lekka: (from Mitchells Plain to Aeroplane).

Joanne Hichens lost first her mother, then, in quick succession, her husband, her father and her mother-in-law - two deaths anticipated, two coming as the worst kind of shock. In this memoir of grief and recovery, she writes with honesty and humour of death, our 'constant companion', and the stumbling journey through the country of grief.

By turns searing and sparkling, her account gives compelling insight into the losses that stalk us all, while also celebrating the mainstays of life - friendship, family, and the memories of those we love and lose.