OFF THE WALL POETRY

Elizabeth Trew was born and grew up in Cape Town. She spent 27 years in exile in England until 1991. She has a BA (Hons) in English Literature and Linguistics from the University of East Anglia, UK, and a Wits MA in English Education. A former librarian and adult education teacher in England and Johannesburg, her poems have appeared in journals and anthologies here and abroad. Her debut collection is My Mother the Seal (Hands-On Books, 2023). Her second collection, Star Salte

18 May, 19.30: Yamoria is a Johannesburg-based collaborative spoken word duo formed by Mfumo and Fumane Ntlhabane. Known for blending performance poetry with cultural storytelling, Yamoria has carved out a unique space in South Africa’s creative landscape. Their professional journey includes high-profile collaborations with major brands. In a notable international commission, Yamoria was invited by the Kingdom of the Netherlands to write and perform a bespoke spoken word pie

19.30 4 May: Jenna Mervis is a South African poet and museum storyteller. She was born and educated in Durban and holds an MA in Creative Writing from the University of Cape Town. Her poems and short stories have appeared in several South African literary journals, and she is the author of two poetry collections: Woman Unfolding (Modjaji Books, 2011) and Braided River (Indeed Books, 2026). Jenna also publishes essays and musings on her Substack newsletter, Words at Play:...

Dear Poets and Poetry-Lovers, Join us on 20 April at 19.30 for a reading by Wendy Woodward! Wendy Woodward taught literature and creative writing for nearly three decades in the English Department at the University of the Western Cape. Cape Town, South Africa. She has published academically as well as creatively, locally and internationally, notably The Animal Gaze: Animal Subjectivities in Southern African Narratives (2008) and three poetry collections: Séance for the Bo

06 April, 19.30 - virtual only : Medzani Musandiwa is a poet originally from Venda, Limpopo, but has spent the majority of his life in Johannesburg. His interest in poetry originated from a show on SABC 1 hosted by Lebo Mashile. Though the show itself wasn’t geared towards poetry, what caught his interest was her habit of reading a poem at the end of every episode; capturing the essence of the episode. It inspired him to start writing poetry. After years of subsequent experi

23 March, 19.30 : Kombo Saumu is a Kenyan born, multiple-award-winning artist. She is a scriptwriter, a spoken word poet, a music composer and a theatre maker. Spoken word poetry is Kombo’s first love. She started writing and performing as a means of self-expression, which gradually grew into art for advocacy. Most of her poetry pieces feature themes of social justice, a return to matriarchy and power to the people. Kombo’s latest release “I AM” is screening at this year’s Vo

​​ 09 March 2026, 19.30: Elisa Galgut is a poet and philosopher; she teaches in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Cape Town. Her work is largely interdisciplinary, as she works at the intersection of psychoanalysis, philosophy, literature and art. Her collection - The Attribute of Poetry - was published by Modjaji, and she has another collection in the works. Her latest book, Mentalization and Literary Form ( Routledge ) looks at the relationship between l

23 Feb, 2026: Dr Athol Williams is a poet and applied philosopher from Cape Town, now based at Oxford University in the UK. He has published 20 books and twice won the Sol Plaatjie European Union Poetry Award. His most recent book, End & Beginning (Karavan Press, 2025), reflects the devastation of exile and abandonment after exposing state capture, and his gradual recovery. The City of Cape Town awarded Dr Williams the Mayor's Medal for Extraordinary Bravery in 2024 and Thul

Helen Moffett is a writer, editor, academic, teacher and poet. She has published about 25 books, ranging from children's books to erotica, environmental handbooks, works on gender-based violence, university textbooks, and cricket. Her debut novel was Charlotte , a Pride and Prejudice sequel. She has released two collections of poetry: Strange Fruit , published in 2009 by Modjaji Books; and Prunings , published in 2016 by uHlanga. The latter was joint winner of the South

Julia Smuts Louw is a screenwriter, working primarily in animation. Recent projects include the Annie-Award winning Star Wars short film AAU’S SONG and the Emmy-winning BBC One Christmas Day special THE SMEDS AND THE SMOOS, which also won the Prix Jeunesse and The Japan Prize. Her animated feature, SPIKE, is soon to go into production in The Netherlands and was the recipient of the Creative Europe and Thuthuka development grants. Her prose fiction has been published by Rando