Our Mission

To spread the magic of literature

Reading and writing give us a unique avenue into some of life’s deepest pleasures.

A channel for our passions.  A pathway to wisdom.  A portal into enchanted realms, and futures worth fighting for.  

Through literature, even our greatest trials provide a window into the inner lives of our fellow humans, who all too often feel so far out of reach.  

Words reveal the fullness of the world, a joy we wish to share.

To help writers flourish

The path of the page is fraught with challenges:

  • The craft is intricate. Techniques that prove fruitful in some contexts ring shrilly in others, and every editor and reader has their own taste and standards.

  • The industry is precarious. Editors and agents are inundated by submissions, meaning high competition for scarce opportunities. Meanwhile, ever-growing publishing houses offer upcoming authors only paltry contracts that can’t reasonably support an acceptable quality of life.

  • The world is distracting. Being such a slow and patient discipline, writing requires both time and mental space that our busy lives do not easily allow.

  • Sitting down is scary. Staring down at the blank page all too often feels like gazing into the void, and confronting our harshest inner critics.

But for many of us, writing is a source of meaning and catharsis — not to mention a shot at a secure and comfortable livelihood.

We are committed to helping writers of all genres and levels win on their own terms: to hone their craft, unlock their creative process, lead fulfilling artistic journeys, and build lucrative careers in publishing.

To boost literacy &
literary culture in South Africa

The ravages of colonialism, apartheid and capitalism have left deep scars on our country — not the least of which is an ailing education system.

But with each passing year, new South African writers add their voices to our growing lineage: poets and playwrights, novelists and screenwriters, memoirists and essayists, writers of comic books and video games and more.

We’re dedicated to nourishing our local literary community — in libraries and bookstores, in classrooms and festivals — and cultivating an authentic, home-grown South African literature.

To support a vulnerable generation

The youth of today face an unprecedented crisis.

A hostile, precarious economy.  The mental illness pandemic.  Devices which undermine their cognitive, emotional and social development.  Rising authoritarianism — and a global climate emergency.

Writing education, while no quick fix for such complex threats, nonetheless provides our youngest students with an essential skillset for navigating our troubled times:

  • comprehension and communication

  • critical analysis and cognitive adaptability

  • creative problem-solving and imagination

  • patience, focus and resilience

  • empathy and emotional intelligence

  • self-motivation and habit-building 

  • confidence, commitment and perseverance 

  • kindness, courage and hope


We believe these mental tools are indispensable for all of us, but especially young students’ academic and professional performance, their ability to thrive in an uncertain economic future, and their capacity to meaningfully engage in our vital democratic process.

To heal our culture

For too long, our society has been mesmerised by the promise of convenience. 

We’ve been seduced by instant information, non-stop entertainment, and easy ‘connection’ (see: likes and follows), forgetting that more and faster don’t always mean better.

An infinite avalanche of short-form content and AI slop has eroded our attention spans, and blunted our critical thinking.  Ubiquitous ads, image filters and misinformation have distorted our very sense of reality, making us anxious and depressed, lonely and ineffectual.  

Every day, more and more of us feel exhausted by a frenetic bombardment of words, sounds and images that yield little for our truer human callings: wisdom, beauty, and justice; purpose, mastery, and love.

We have grown tired of empty abundance and hollow busyness.

We yearn for understanding beyond the buzzwords.  We crave authenticity, not personal brands.  We don’t want to be visible; we want to be present.  We don’t want to be Insta-famous; we want to belong.  

Beyond the corporate dream-world of cyberspace, our planet needs us more than ever.  And just as our planet has been polluted by our toxic system, so too have our lives filled with waste: junk stuff, junk habits and junk ideas.

When we grant ourselves the solace of writing, we finally begin to recover our genuine selves.  We embrace a community of authors whose writings speak to us from around the world and throughout history. By writing, we continue their legacy, sharing our discoveries with companions who listen patiently, contemplate deeply, and connect wholeheartedly.

Join us as we slow down, go deep, open up, and rebuild.