WOMAN ZONE STORIES

The WZ Book Club invites you to meet: activist, academic, feminist poet BERNEDETTE MUTHIEN. Her book Rethinking Africa: Indigenous Women Re-Interpret Sothern Africa's Pasts ( Fanele ) co-edited with June Bam takes a deep look at 'herstories' though a creative, woman-focused lens. 

In this special series honouring Artscape's 50th anniversary, Woman Zone speaks to LAURENCE ESTEVE co-founder and CEO of the Zip Zap Circus The intro song, 'Beautiful Woman', is written and performed by Tina Schouw

In this special series honouring Artscape's 50th anniversary, Woman Zone speaks to LIZE THOMAS acting artistic director of Cape Town Opera. The intro song, 'Beautiful Woman', is written and performed by Tina Schouw.

In case you missed our special Women's Day radio show, broadcast on FMR yesterday, presented by Theresa Smith and produced by Beryl Eichenberger - here's your chance to catch our celebration as part of Artscape's Women's Humanity Arts Festival 2021 in Cape Town's much loved  theatre centre's 50th golden year. 

The WZ Book Club invites you to meet: A'EYSHA KASSIEM. Her book Suitcase of Memory looks at how cultural identity is shaped and influenced by memory.  

In this brand new series, the WZ Book Club invites you to meet: BRIDGET MCNULTY whose self-published The Grief Handbook started as a result of personal experience. 

Woman Zone Book Club guest author this month is the prolific and award-winning writer FIONA SNYCKERS. She’s writes short stories, series, novels – as well as for mobile phones, and her recent acclaimed novel Lacuna was an impassioned response to Nobel laureate JM Coetzee’s Disgrace . But Fiona's latest, 8th novel The School Gates, is based on more first-hand experience.

The WOMAN ZONE BOOK CLUB review page is a great place to find new reads – but its also a great place to have your opinion heard if you’ve come across a really good title. But we are especially thrilled to welcome a new reviewer into our ranks – she’s HAZEL MAKUZENI and you can read her first contribution on our website under Book Reviews. But who is Hazel? Find out more about her here…

Fans of award-winning author Marita van der Vyver now based in France, will love her latest book.  In A Long Letter to my Daughter (Tafelberg) she shares, with 21 year old French-speaking Mia, stories and secrets from her childhood and youth in South Africa - as well as books and quotes that shaped her world and writing. It’s an Exclusive Books Homebru choice for all of July and Marita is one...

Who was this woman Sarah Goldblatt to whom literary icon CJ Langenhoven bequeathed his literary legacy? Why was she so important in his life? Author, lawyer and great niece to Sarah, Dominique Malherbe, set out to uncover the story that had been the subject of family gossip and much speculation over many decades. Searching for Sarah (NB Publishers) is a poignant reminder of identity, commitment, d...

Finding freedom in books in a different way, Christy Weyer gave up an academic career to follow her dream, and start a book shop. Liberty Books. You can find it at Peregrine Farm Stall – but listen here for the whole story.

Writer, storyteller Dr Sindiwe Magona has been declared a South African Living Legend. She’s received an Ikamanga award for her literary and humanitarian work, amongst many other awards and honorary doctorates too numerous to mention. As a founding friend of Woman Zone she has honoured us often with her words and her presence. This time we honour her - her life of writing and her new book, When th...

Her prolific Instagram account refers to #subversive stitching – but artist WILLEMIEN DE VILLERS work, combining beauty with brutality, speaks volumes about so much more than vintage cloth and thread.

For writer, author, poet, doctor and teacher Dawn Garisch, writing is life. Listen as she explains how it’s helped her navigate her own journey – and also how it’s worked for so many others who have found themselves through her Life Righting Collective . Dawn is both our Finding Herself candidate and WZ Book Club Guest Author for April. Her latest books, Breaking Milk and Disturbance , an antholog...

Literacy Director at the Otto Foundation Trust, an IBBY SA judge and on the board of Nal’ibali, NONIIKIWE MASHOLOGU has been celebrated as one of 12 women in South Africa working hard to drive early literacy change. Listen as she shares her journey from daughter of activist, academic parents exiled in in Lesotho, to where she is now…

Saving A Stranger’s Life: The Diary of an Emergency Room Doctor is an eye-opening peep into one woman’s highly-stressed working environment clouded by the deadly shadow of COVID 19. Written between March and Sept 2020, it’s a tale told with honesty, humour and non-holds-barred insight.

Scatterlings is Resoketswe Manenzhe first, and award-winning, novel. Legendary, historical, thoughtful. Woman Zone Book Club's February guest author, Shoki herself is also an engineering student at UCT. Enjoy the story of all her stories right here. 

The EVERYWOMAN Project is an ambitious initiative linking three Cape Town organisations: WOMAN ZONE, ARTSCAPE and the ZEITZ MOCAA. The end result is destined to be one giant textile art installation – still to find a name – that will ultimately be presented to the Artscape Theatre Centre on the occasion of its 50th anniversary on May 19th 2021. Many hundreds of women have helped, and are helping,...

With a lot expected from her when she was a learner, educator Gugu Radebe, expects, or hopes for, a lot from other young women. Listen to her journey and the philosophy behind the organization she founded called GALE, Girls Advocacy Leadership and Education based in Langa.

Zimbabwean born writer-filmmaker Siphiwe Gloria Ndlovu weaves magic in her books. The latest is The History of Man , the first was the award-winning The Theory of Flight . Nancy Richards spoke to her about them both.

twyg is an online platform designed to inspire and support a modern, eco-conscious and forward-thinking lifestyle – focusing on fashion, food and places that don’t harm the planet. Founder Jackie May talks about its origins, its ethos and its awards.

Trudy Rushin’s is the beautiful voice and gently haunting song that opens every episode of this FINDING HERSELF series. Find out here how despite a number of challenges, she came to be doing what she loves best, singing.

In her book Death and the After Parties - a memoir (Karavan Press) JOANNE HICHENS shares the full range of emotions she felt following first the death of her mother, then in quick succession her husband, her father and her mother-in-law. Recovery after the death of loved ones is a life-long affair – but what she deals with here is coping with the raw early stages and the agonising aftermath. It is...

Our December online Woman Zone Book Club marked this year's 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Based Violence . Our speakers, NECHAMA BRODIE author of Femicide in South Africa (Kwela) and TRACY GOING author of Brutal Legacy - a memoir ( MFBooks ) shared some invaluable insight and information on the scourge of violence that affects so any women in our country. 

At roughly half way through her life – Jessica Hewson is, broadly speaking, a journalist. But media in all its in many forms, past and present is her passion. Despite a disability she has taken her future very much into her own hands on a journey that has been sometimes seriously bumpy, but never dull.