Follow the Road

Description

Journeys and arrivals in strange and magical places � a kaleidoscopic collection of stories by Africa�s younger writers. Follow the Road is a collection of stories pushing against the grain of right vs wrong. It is an anthology of unique perspectives, ideas and dreams.

Sujets

• Young Adult

Informations

• Publié par: Modjaji Books
• Date de parution: 31 janvier 2015
• Nombre de lectures: 7
• EAN13: 9781920590970
• Langue: English

Extrait

Follow the Road
 
Published by Short Story Day Africa in 2015
Distributed by Hands-On Books
 
Print ISBN: 978-1-920590-98-7
E-book ISBN: 978-1-920590-97-0
 
The copyright of any work in this book remains with its author.
No work in this collection may be reproduced, stored, or transmitted in any form without the prior permission of its author.
 
Edited by Máire Fisher and Tiah Beautement
Cover and inside page design by Nick Mulgrew
Cover illustration by Ivan van Niekerk
 
The print edition of this book was typeset in Minion Pro, IM FELL and Bodoni Classic
FOLLOW THE ROAD
 
 

CONTENTS
Introduction
 
Phoenix
KAYA OOSTHUIZEN
The Magic Gorah
Léa van Blerk
What if Trees and Animals Could Talk
PAKO RAMENO
Meaty, Buns & Nina go on an Adventure
Jordan Meyer
The Words of Donkeys
Amabedi Badisa
Butterfly
Katie Hayes
The Cape’s Secre t
Tanya Erlston
Our Time Traveling Parents are Gone !
Kyra Zinn
Emma and the Mysterious Baby
Kutso Setseeng
Smell of a Fire Lily
Telisa Lombard
The Rock and the Witch
Emily Hugo
Long Lost Sails
Morgan Lottering
African Science Fiction
Aobakwe Mbonelele
The Sparkly Dragon of the Drakensberg
Bianca Matthee
Black and White
Ruan Kitshoff
Lowando’s Journey
Ivan van Niekerk
A Handful of Sand
William Burger
What a Mess!       
Tyla Lottering
When Hearts Remain True
Jané van Zyl
Sarina vs Scary & Evil
Keisha Chelsea Domingo
Patiko and Pajoko
Lesego Pulamoeng
Sir Alfred and the Golden Arrow
Samuel Hayes
An Unexpected Tale from Tanzania
Dominique Fuchs
A Puzzle from the Past
Nina Steyn
The Pig that had no Ears
Tara Anne Du Preez
No Ordinary Rock
Kiera-Lee Hayes
Megeni Kutua
Carla Lott
 
Acknowledgements
INTRODUCTION
 
In 2013 Short Story Day Africa led young African writers gently into the creative process by having them rewrite a fairy tale, myth or legend – the outline of the story already there. This year, however, we simply stated the genre – Science Fiction and Fantasy – and asked young African writers to let their imaginations fly.
Easy, many would believe. After all, to paraphrase Picasso, children are born artists. Yet, something is happening that is narrowing children’s wide minds well before adulthood. My work with SSDA has taken me into the classrooms of South Africa, local libraries and learning centres. One of the hardest things I face when running a workshop is getting children to understand that there is no wrong story. Yes, there is good writing and bad writing. Yes, Hemingway did say, “The first draft of anything is [not so good]”. But there is no such thing as right story vs wrong story . It is only a matter of how a writer tells the tale.
Yet the children are being led to believe differently: “But I don’t know what is the right story,” a Grade 3 learner said, tears running down her face. I am not alone in facing this frustration. Lauri Kubuitsile fought the same battle this year at her Botswana workshops. She wrote about her experience for The Voice, a newspaper in Botswana, the headline declaring, “Our Education System is Killing Creativity.”
This cannot be what we want for our children. The success of our future doctors, detectives, architects, CEOs and entrepreneurs hinges on them being able to use their knowledge and expand upon it, not act like robots. Creativity is necessary in figuring out new methods of treatment and cures for diseases. Businesses do not thrive if they cannot evolve in new and innovative ways.
Short Story Day Africa hopes, through workshops and contests, to play a part in encouraging our youth to reclaim their imaginations. Whilst we, of course, love it when our young writers declare a love of books and writing, we do not wish for all up-and-coming talent to become fulltime authors. Our aim is to help them unlock their creativity so they can apply it to whatever their futures may bring. The anthology’s purpose is to create a space where youth can open their imaginations and have their hard work respected by readers.
We present Follow the Road , a collection of stories written by young writers pushing against the grain of right vs wrong . It is an anthology of unique perspectives, ideas and dreams. This year we are able to bring you twenty-seven stories, ten more stories than last year, thanks to extra sponsorship both in the forms of funds and assistance. The cover is compliments of the artistic talents of Ivan van Niekerk, who sent in wonderful illustrations inspired by his story, featured in this collection.
To everyone who has contributed to Short Story Day Africa, thank you.
We hope you enjoy the children’s words as much as we have.
 
Tiah Beautement
Short Story Day Africa
WINNERS
 
Winners of the 2014 YA competition:
1st Place: Kaya Oosthuizen, age 16, for “Phoenix”
2nd Place: Carla Lott, age 17, for “Megeni Kutua”
3rd Place: Lesego Pulamoeng, age 14, for “Patiko and Pajoko”
 
Winners of the 2014 10-13 competition:
Léa van Blerk, age 10, for “The Mag