The return of the Open Book Festival
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- 18 Mar 2022
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After an absence of two years as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, Open Book Festival returns with a two-day, in-person event.
"We are delighted to be hosting our first live, post-pandemic Festival. With the devastating impact that Covid-19 has had on the creative sector, we have decided to present an all-South African lineup for this event," says Open Book Festival Organiser Vasti Calitz.
"Although the March edition is a miniature version of our usual festival, audiences will be able to enjoy everything they have come to expect from the Open Book Festival experience."
One of the country's leading literature festivals, the Open Book Festival, has twice been shortlisted for the London Book Fair Excellence Awards.
Before Covid-19 disallowed large in-person gatherings, the festival ran uninterrupted for nine years. At its most recent event, nearly ten thousand people were in attendance. In the place of the event, the festival’s podcast kept the conversation going while highlighting some of the books published during the pandemic.
"Our digital engagements have provided a good platform to talk about the compelling books South African authors have continued to write, but nothing can beat the experience of an in-person event," added Calitz.
The festival is committed to creating a space to celebrate South African writers. It strives to instil a love of reading with the programme designed to engage, entertain and inspire conversations among festival-goers long after the event.
Previous festival programmes have included talks by international authors and South African writers; poetry; a comic book marketplace; panel discussions; book launches; outreach reading initiatives; youth programmes; and writer sports.
The 2022 Open Book Festival lineup includes vangile gantsho, Pumla Gqola, Ingrid Jones, Faye Kabali-Kagwa, Sara-Jayne King, Kelly-Eve Koopman, Sue Nyathi, Julie Nxadi, Keely Shinners, Kelly Smith, Sarah Summers, Jen Thorpe, Hedley Twidle and Joy Watson. Read More…
