The 6th annual Midlands Literary Festival takes place over the weekend of 21–23 August 2015.
It brings together a wonderful concoction of some of the country's top writers. But this year we're planning to stretch the geographical boundaries of the festival to include a grand opening night at Ike's Bookshop in Durban before switching to the primary and traditional Midlands venue at Howick for the rest of the weekend.
Durban does not really have a literary festival – with the emphasis on "festival" – that captures the imagination, which is why we're hosting an evening at probably the greatest bookshop in all of South Africa: Ike's in trendy Florida Road.
The theme for the evening is "Alice in Wonderland". Bibliophiles are encouraged to come dressed as the Mad Hatter or one of the characters from this perennial classic, which celebrates its 150th anniversary this year.
One of the most colourful characters on the literary scene, Ashwin Desai, should bring the house down with a talk entitled "Alice in Nkandlaland".
Other speakers for the night are Carol Campbell, with Esther's House, her follow-up novel to My children have faces (originally published in Afrikaans as Karretjiemense). Carol scored a major coup this year with the filming rights to both her books being bought.
Acclaimed Indian photographer Ranjith Kally will talk on his recent photographic book with a most beautiful title, Memory Against Forgetting.
And I just could not resist inviting Priya Dala to talk about her debut novel, What about Meera?, much of which was penned on the balcony of Ike's Bookshop.
Rounding off what should be a thoroughly enjoyable evening is a book you must read before you die: Vernon Head's The Search for the Rarest Bird in the World.
The next morning writers and festivalgoers should wake up with a somewhat heavy head for the opening day at Yellowwood Café just outside Howick. (An aside: If you arrive early, be sure to visit the Karkloof Farmers Market just up the road from Yellowwood.)
There will be a tinge of sadness to this year's event: it will be the first festival in its six-year existence at which Ian Player will not be present. People who know me know I seldom invite the same speakers every year, but in Dr Player's case, I sensed his greatness and his diminishing years.
Thus, to celebrate the life of this great man, Roger de la Harpe will present what will be the inaugural Ian Player Memorial Lecture at the festival as he speaks about his magnificent new book, African Icons.
Among other highlights will be Chris Nicholson and Mike Hickson on their book about the first multiracial cricket club in South Africa, the Aurora Cricket Club in Pietermaritzburg; Mary Kleinenberg on her book about the Black Sash of KZN, which has just shot on to the bestseller list; and Zuleikha Mayat, the lady behind that classic, Indian Delights, who will talk on her lyrical letter correspondence with Ahmed Kathrada as well as her latest travel memoir.
And then there's Vernon Head with his masterpiece on birds; Robert "Doc" Caldwell and Tod Collins's fascinating talks and Ashwin Desai about Gandhi. (His book might just win the 2016 Alan Paton Prize, and maybe we can then persuade those folk from that Sunday paper to get their geography right and award the Paton Prize in Paton country next year!)
Not discounting very young up-and-coming writers the programme also includes Emily Burger, a Pietermaritzburg schoolgirl, whose debut novel, Thieves of Greatness, has just appeared.
And there will be light music to add to the festive Midlands atmosphere, mainly in the form of in-between piano sprinklings.
The full programme:
SATURDAY 22 AUGUST
9.00–10.00 MARY KLEINENBERG: Standing on
Street Corners – KZN Black Sash
10.00–10.30 TOD COLLINS: Shackleton's
Forgotten Men
10.30–11.00 TEA
11.00–11.30 RANJIT KALLY: Memory against
Forgetting
11.30–12.00 EMILY BURGER: Thieves of
Greatness
12.00–12.30 ROBERT ("DOC") CALDWELL: The
Bright Lady of DNA
12.30–13.00 IAN TENNENT: Zululand Snow
1.00–2.30 LUNCH
2.30–3.00 CAROL CAMPBELL: Esther's House
3.00–3.30 CECILE LEVIN: A Piece of Cake
3.30–4.00 JACKIE KALLEY: Utterly Otterly – A
Local Publishing House
4.00–4.30 ASHWIN DESAI: Gandhi
SUNDAY 23 AUGUST
9.00–9.30 NICKY GRIESHABER: Write Thinking –
or: How to Keep Your Editor's Therapist Bills
Down
9.30–10.00 HANS SCHRÖDER: My Dear, We'll
Make a Plan
10.00–10.30 PRIYA DALA: What about Meera?
10.30–11.00 TEA
11.00–11.30 TOD COLLINS: The Great Himalayas
11.30–12.00 DI THOMPSON: Eric Rowan: The
Toughest and Naughtiest Springbok
12.00–12.30 ZULEIKHA MAYAT: Journeys of Binte
Batuti
12.30–13.00 JANET KOHLER: Perfect Party
13.00–2.30 LUNCH
2.30–3.00 CHRIS NICHOLSON and MIKE HICKSON :
How Aurora Cricket Club Stumped Apartheid
3.00–3.30 VERNON HEAD: In Search of the Rarest
Bird in the World
3.30–4.00 ROGER DE LA HARPE: African Icons – A
Year's Travels to Africa's Iconic Places
News supplied.