This groundbreaking, multi-genre anthology answers the question: what did the literary landscape look like in South Africa at the start of the twenty-first century?

It documents a slice of this landscape by bringing together the writings of over twenty contributors through literary critique, personal essays and interviews. The book tells the story of the seismic shift that transformed national culture through poetry and is the first of its kind to explore the history and impact of poetry by Black women, in their own voices. It straddles disciplines: literary theory, feminism, history of the book and politics – thus decolonising literary culture.

Our Words, Our Worlds covers expansive reflections: from the international diplomacy-transforming poem, ‘I Have Come to Take You Home’ by Diana Ferrus, to the pioneering publisher duduzile zamantungwa mabaso; from the self-confessed closeted poet Sedica Davids, to the fiery unapologetic feminist Bandile Gumbi; from the world-renowned Malika Ndlovu, to the engineer and award-winning Nosipho Gumede; from the formidable foursome Feela Sistah, to feminist literary scholars V.M. Sisi Maqagi and Barbara Boswell. The collective contributions are a testimony to the power of creativity and centrality of poetry in a changing society.

This book is an assertion of Black women’s intellectual prowess and – as Gabeba Baderoon puts it – black women’s visions of ‘a world made whole by their presence’.

In Years of Fire and Ash: South African Poems of Decolonisation, fifty years of protest poetry are brought together in a single volume by literary critic and lecturer Dr Wamuwi Mbao. The animating impulse behind this collection of old and new voices is ‘decolonisation’, a term which has regained prominence over the last few years. It allows us to perceive how different South African poets have placed their work in the world, and how that work might relate to the struggle for radical social transformation. How, then, does decolonization look like in the world of South African poetry? This anthology is an attempt to answer that question.

The poems express the thoughts and experiences of poets who experienced Apartheid, but also of those who address current political realities. This collection includes established voices as well as prominent Emmanuel Taban is one of contemporary poets.

Who are the Women of Xolobeni? Who was Dulcie September? What are dirty/pretty things? Or vulva volcanoes?

Whatever its theme, each poem in this collection featuring the work of 40 black women poets from Africa and its diaspora reflects the lives of most, if not all women, womyn and womxn – particularly those born Black and poor by design in a post-slavery, post-colonial world.

Wild Imperfections opens with poems honouring different generations of ancestor women, like Sarah Baartman and Rosa Parks – born at different times yet all of them cultural and political mirrors to Black girls and women.

Questioning and disrupting patriarchy, these poems speak about birth and death, fertility and infertility, rape and genital mutilation, war, exile and forced migration, but also revel in joy, desire, and the expression of sexuality and the erotic.

But what is a wild imperfection? And can the language of these poets recreate a space for the ‘wild’ and ‘unruly’, the ‘loose’ and ‘dirty’, the ‘witches’ and ‘bitches’ who are perfect in their brokenness and who are no longer seeking permission for their rage, their joy and their healing?

The story of Troy speaks to all of us - the kidnapping of Helen, a queen celebrated for her beauty, sees the Greeks launch a thousand ships against the city of Troy, to which they will lay siege for ten whole years. It is a terrible war with casualties on all sides as well as strained relations between allies, whose consequences become tragedies.

In Troy you will find heroism and hatred, love and loss, revenge and regret, desire and despair. It is these human passions, written bloodily in the sands of a distant shore, that still speak to us today.

From Rupi Kaur, the top ten Sunday Times bestselling author of Milk And Honey, comes her long-awaited second collection of poetry.

Illustrated by Kaur, The Sun And Her Flowers is a journey of wilting, falling, rooting, rising and blooming. It is a celebration of love in all its forms.

Amanda Gorman's powerful and historic poem 'The Hill We Climb,' read at President Joe Biden's inauguration, is now available as a collectible gift edition.

On 20 January 2021, Amanda Gorman became the sixth and youngest poet to deliver a poetry reading at a presidential inauguration. Taking the stage after the 46th president of the United States, Joe Biden, Gorman captivated the nation and brought hope to viewers around the globe. Her poem "The Hill We Climb" can now be cherished in this special gift edition. Including an enduring foreword by Oprah Winfrey, this keepsake celebrates our promise and affirms the power of poetry.

Die gedigte handel onder meer oor 'n byna uitgestorwe plattelandse lewe met tradisionele gebruike en ambagte. Tog word dit haarskerp en klokhelder verwoord sodat ook die moderne stadsmens aanklank daarby kan vind. Maar hy skryf ewe meevoerend oor die stad (Kaapstad).

Daar is ook aktuele gedigte oor Suid-Afrikaanse toestande, tydlose verse oor die dood en prikkelende maar ook skreiende uitbeeldings van die liefde. Die verse het 'n eie, unieke klank en styl. Die minimalistiese woordgebruik is besonder suggestieryk en skep dikwels meerduidighede - betekeniseggo's wat naklinkend in die leser se kop bly draai.

Die beelde en klanke klou inderdaad aan jou soos knapsekêrels.

In this quite extraordinary sequence of poems, P.R. Anderson discombobulates and re-assembles the image and idiom of the various nations, landscapes and earthscapes of central South Africa.

From first peoples, to those who took and settled on their ancestral lands, and to those for whom that land would come ancestral, In a Free State encompasses and compresses centuries of human drama into a fleeting and temperamental poetic narrative.

Yet this is no drudge, nor is it a historical yarn. With an easy mastery of form and metre, coupled with swashbuckling metaphorical and -textual flourish, Anderson's new "music" is a bold and visionary work. A piece of South African poetry - and South African storytelling - unlike any other.

Those cast adrift in the lonely sea of grief will find something on every page to cling to, when that water gets too rough.

Donna Ashworth is the wordsmith behind the social media phenomenon LADIES PASS IT ON, and her community of more than 680,000 followers across two platforms is growing by 10,000 every month. LOSS is a collection of poems, for those looking to soothe their soul and find an anchor to guide their spirit. Amidst an incredible understanding of how it feels to lose the ones we love the most, Donna's writing gives a glimpse of light that can be found within the darkest moments. This collection of grief poetry will bring comfort but also peace, acceptance and the very important reminder that you are never alone. A must for anyone who has lost someone.

Donna's poems have gone viral, travelled round the world and been viewed millions of times. Using her own experiences to nurture others, her work is celebrated by a huge online following and is the inspiration for both video content and many songs. Her poems are frequently read by celebrities and she has been featured in both Grazia and Glamour magazine as one of the most celebrated female poets. This new collection of poems aims to guide people through loneliness and loss, bringing serenity and support whilst remembering those who have passed.

What is life if not everything, and sometimes all at once. This collection of poems is for anyone who has lived, and who has more living to do.

For those looking for inspiration, peace and acceptance on the bumpy road that is life, Donna Ashworth's poems give insight into the enigmas of ageing, body image, family and the rapidly changing world around us.

For every twist, turn and roadblock the journey has to offer, this collection provides relief to busy minds and dares us to live with a reckless abundance of joy.

Although Olga Kirsch’s is the only Jewish voice in Afrikaans poetry, it is scarcely known among members of the South African Jewish community. Olga Kirsch was, after Elisabeth Eybers, only the second woman to publish a collection of poetry in Afrikaans.

The aims of this biography are to reverse this slide into obscurity and to show why her work is important not only in South Africa but also in Israel.

It does not only investigate Kirsch’s role as Afrikaans Jewish poet but also examines her as an example of a cross-cultural, multi-lingual immigrant poet. As such some of her English and Hebrew poetry are included in this work.

Hierdie keur bevat van Adam Small se gewildste – en gee ook aandag aan sy minder bekende – gedigte. Die doel van hiedie versameling is om sy bydrae tot Suid-Afrikaanse letterkunde, en Kaaps, te vereer.

Die klem word geplaas op die tersaaklikheid en veelsydigheid van sy stem. Adam Small se eerste bundel het in 1957 verskyn en dekades later gee sy woorde steeds ’n stem aan die gemarginaliseerdes en die werkende stand.

Die maan is swart is saamgestel deur Ronelda S Kamfer.

It is never too late to become all that you envision. Your birth happens more than once so sink into each feeling of uncertainty and ride with the waves. From loneliness, fear, and change comes a breathtaking collection of poetry that inspires strength and self-healing during a time when we couldn't feel farther apart.

What the Moon Gave Her is a poetry collection born from self-discovery. The debut collection from Christi Steyn delves into themes of self-doubt, anxiety, and the unprecedented loss felt during the height of the pandemic. Beauty is found in every corner of this book's six dynamic chapters--"birth by the ocean", "youplucked too many petals," "how to grow wings," "dancing dolphins," "full moon/bloom" and "two trees intertwined"

What the Moon Gave Her is a moving collection about rebirth and the way we reconnect with the world around us through love.

A heart-wrenching story from the international bestselling author of The Kite Runner, brought to life by Dan Williams's beautiful illustrations

On a moonlit beach a father cradles his sleeping son as they wait for dawn to break and a boat to arrive. He speaks to his boy of the long summers of his childhood, recalling his grandfather's house in Syria, the stirring of olive trees in the breeze, the bleating of his grandmother's goat, the clanking of her cooking pots. And he remembers, too, the bustling city of Homs with its crowded lanes, its mosque and grand souk, in the days before the sky spat bombs and they had to flee.

When the sun rises they and those around them will gather their possessions and embark on a perilous sea journey in search of a new home.

Drawing on fifteen centuries of poetry from all over the world, the third edition of Seasons Come To Pass continues to make poetry relevant and accessible to students in Southern Africa.

The anthology includes unusual, erotic, witty, and political poems, presented in chronological order. A wide range of poets is included, from classics and old favourites to fresh new voices.

This anthology offers support and guidance by providing a clear overview of the important movements in the history of the English language and its literature, as well as detailed notes on critical analysis and techniques for writing essays and exams. The aim is to encourage students to develop the confidence to express their ideas in writing. Practical examples are given of how to come to grips with poetry, and develop critical and analytical skills. Poems are brought alive through supporting notes that tackle contemporary and controversial concerns.

Healing Through Words is a guided tour on the journey back to the self, a cathartic and mindful exploration through writing.

This carefully curated collection of exercises asks only that you be vulnerable and honest, both with yourself and the page.

You don't need to be a writer to take this walk; you just need to write - that's all.

Poetic Inquiry for the Social and Human Sciences: Voices from the South and North enriches human and social science research by introducing new voices, insights, and epistemologies.

Poetic inquiry, or poetry as research, is a literary and performance arts-based approach. It combines the arts and humanities with scientific inquiry to enhance social research. By challenging conventional epistemological traditions that assert a detached stance of the known from the knower, poetic inquiry proposes a method of decolonising knowledge production. This book expands on ground-breaking work done in the Global North on transdisciplinary poetic inquiry scholarship by bringing it into conversation with knowledge from the Global South. It allows for South-North leadership and places unique scholarly contributions from the South at the centre of transnational discussions.

In exploring and advancing poetic inquiry in the Global South, part of the book’s decolonising agenda is to challenge and expand the definition of poetic inquiry and recognise the contributions from diverse traditions and social practices. The peer-reviewed chapters are written by new and established scholars in various knowledge fields worldwide. The chapters’ scholarly contributions are complemented by an original poetry sequence interwoven through the book. Critically, Voices and Silences shows how poetry can engender innovative research that addresses pressing social justice issues, such as inclusion and decolonisation.

Poetic Inquiry will interest researchers and academics who seek to advance social research by adopting new epistemologies and approaches that integrate the value of the Global South’s contributions and foster expanded South-North collaborations.

Winner of the 2022 Ingrid Jonker Prize.

Jacques Coetzee's debut is a manifesto of personhood, a portrait of a world brought into being by its textures, its movements, and - most importantly - its music.

Easy-flowing and sensuous, this is a collection of the unexpected, the strange, and the suddenly beautiful. Unavoidably and undeniably, Coetzee's is a truly unique perspective

From the Number One Sunday Times bestselling author of Milk And Honey and The Sun And Her Flowers comes her greatly anticipated third collection of poetry.

Rupi Kaur constantly embraces growth, and in Home Body she walks readers through a reflective and intimate journey visiting the past, the present and the potential of the self. Home Body is a collection of raw, honest conversations with oneself - reminding readers to fill up on love, acceptance, community, family, and embrace change.

Illustrated by the author, themes of nature and nurture, light and dark, rest here.

In this fast-paced world, I Wish I Knew is a collection of poems to guide us through the wilderness of life, navigating body image, emotions, mental health, and personal growth.

With honest lessons learned from rock bottom, Donna Ashworth's writing helps us to find courage in chaos and rise to every challenge.

Sparking joy, surprise, and gratitude on each page, this collection will soothe your soul, strengthen your spirit, and help you find your own unique voice.

Oor hierdie Hertzogpryswenner se nuutste bundel sê Louis Esterhuizen: “Nog selde het ek ʼn versameling gedigte teëgekom wat so volgehoue en voluit op satire ingestel is, in dié mate dat hierdie gedigte gunstig vergelyk met MM Walters se indrukwekkende digterskap. Bykans die totaliteit van menswees en menslike prestasie word in hierdie gedigte voor stok gekry: van die klassieke skrywers en mitologieë, tot die hedendaagse; so ook die visuele kunste en musiek."

Basil du Toit draws on his childhood years in Botswana (the Bechuanaland Protectorate, as it was in those days) to examine questions of language identity and entitlement. He recalls confiding the secret of a magic trick to an itinerant Tswana man who in exchange taught him how to say a few words of the / Xam language; this proximity of language to the magical fashioning of reality still haunts him and has led to poems questioning our sense of belonging to social structures, sexual groupings and even to humanity itself.

Paradoxically, a diverse ethnic background (with Dutch, French, German and Scottish forebears) works against Du Toit’s sense of being welcomed into any single national group. Two directions of trans-national entitlement remain open – movement into an inner landscape of spiritual and artistic values, and an allegiance to the planet as an ecologically neutral, valued and threatened space of dwelling. Both of these manifestations of “home” feature prominently in Du Toit’s work. A visionary linguistics binds these worlds together – foregrounding of the inner life as a source of values and home encourages a Kantian vision of a natural world created by the necessary structures of human consciousness, language being the force and locus of this creation.

Du Toit’s longed-for release from paid employment in 2011 allowed him to spend his mornings in Edinburgh University’s Main Library; there, over the next ten years, basing himself on the Third Floor of the library (where the University’s literature collections are housed), he composed a large body of poems, mainly free-verse sonnets, from which the poems of “Studies in Khoisan Verbs” are drawn.

THESE POEMS AND NOTEBOOKS ARE THE LAST WORD FROM THE LATE, GREAT LEONARD COHEN.

The Flame is a stunning collection of Leonard Cohen's last poems and writings, selected and ordered by Cohen in the final months of his life. The book contains an extensive selection from Cohen's notebooks, featuring lyrics, prose pieces and illustrations, which he kept in poetic form throughout his life, and offers an unprecedentedly intimate look inside the life and mind of a singular artist and thinker. An enormously powerful final chapter in Cohen's storied literary career, The Flame showcases the full range of Leonard Cohen's lyricism, from the exquisitely transcendent to the darkly funny.

By turns devastatingly sad and winningly strange, these are the works of a poet and lyricist who has plumbed the depths of our darkest questions and come up wanting, yearning for more.

Megan Fox showcases her wicked humor throughout a heartbreaking and dark collection of poetry. Over the course of more than 80 poems, Fox chronicles all the ways in which we fit ourselves into the shape of the ones we love, even if it means losing ourselves in the process.

"These poems were written in an attempt to excise the illness that had taken root in me because of my silence. I've spent my entire life keeping the secrets of men, my body aches from carrying the weight of their sins. My freedom lives in these pages, and I hope that my words can inspire others to take back their happiness and their identity by using their voice to illuminate what's been buried, but not forgotten, in the darkness," says Fox.

Pretty Boys Are Poisonous marks the powerful debut from one of the most well-known women of our time. Turn the page, bite the apple, and sink your teeth into the most deliciously compelling and addictive book you'll read all year.