Organisers of the Open Book Festival have announced that the festival will host a six-day series of workshops for writers.
According to the organisers, Workshop Week will take place at Bertha House in Mowbray, from June 5 - 10.
Frankie Murrey, event curator for the Open Book Festival, said they piloted Workshop Week in 2022 to offer aspiring and experienced writers the chance to participate in practical workshop sessions with experienced writers.
“It turned out to be very popular and sessions were fully booked at a rapid rate. It therefore made perfect sense to bring this event back for 2023,” said Murrey.
Expert facilitators will spend six days sharing skills and tools that will leave aspirant writers better equipped for their writing journey.
The Workshop Week forms part of three events planned for this year. The first one, held earlier in the year, was dedicated to young readers. And the Workshop Week in June will be followed with the flagship Open Book Festival, which is on the diary for early September.
Murrey said that the Open Book Festival understands the value of skill sharing and hopes people take advantage of the sessions.
“This is also the first time that we’re offering multi-day workshops. Ukuthula Invoking Silence, is a three-day workshop that engages and evokes creative writing from and against gender-based violence.
“The second is by Dawn Garisch from the Life Righting Collective. She will be facilitating a two-day workshop called Life as a Work of Fiction. The full programme is available online, and we can share that there will be sessions exploring memoirs, poetry, short stories, and more.
“We advise people to book early to avoid disappointment – there are limited places available at the workshops,” she said.
Murrey also revealed that The Red Wheelbarrow Society will also host an open mic session, which is an opportunity to hear headline poets and support other voices.
The Workshop Week 2023 is made possible thanks to the support of the Department of Arts, Sports and Culture, and the Heinrich Boll Foundation.
Tickets are on sale via the Open Book Festival website (www.openbookfestival.co.za).