The Open Book Festival takes place from 6-10 September at the beautiful Fugard Theatre in Cape Town.

I’ll be hosting a free workshop on short story writing at this year’s festival which is open to anyone, whether you’re a beginner, experienced writer or simply love short stories and want to know more about the craft.

I’ll be giving a brief introduction to short story writing, offering tips and advice, reading excerpts from some of the country’s top storytellers, and inviting attendees to take part in writing exercises designed to sharpen their skills.

I’ve run two previous workshops for the festival, one on Writing for Young Adults with Cat Hellisen and Sarah Lotz and another on Worldbuilding with Cat and Zimkhitha Mlanzeli.

This year I have another special guest lined up.

I’m excited to announce that in the second hour I’ll be joined by 2017 Caine-prize winner Bushra al-Fadil, who will be answering questions about his experiences leading up to his win. I’m particularly keen on hearing the author’s advice on writing in one’s home language.

Here are the details:

Date: 09/09/2017

Venue: HCC Boardroom

Time: 10.00 – 12.00

Price: Free entry

Read Bushra al-Fadil’s winning story, The Story of the Girl Whose Birds Flew Away, here.

For more information and to book your place, click here.