Welcome to the Hidden Lives of Writers

Vernon Head is the author of THE SEARCH FOR THE RAREST BIRD IN THE WORLD - a piece of creative non-fiction that has recently been reissued, as well as A TREE FOR THE BIRDS, and the award-winning ON THAT WAVE OF GULLS. Vernon joins Fiona Snyckers and Gail Schimmel to…

Alex Latimer is an author and illustrator of children's fiction and an author of books for adults. As Frank Owen, he and Diane Awerbuck wrote the dystopian novels SOUTH and NORTH. Alex also recently released the acclaimed collection of short stories LOVE STORIES FOR GHOSTS. Alex joins Fiona Snyckers and…

Mphuthumi Ntabeni won the UJ Debut Novel Prize in 2019 for BROKEN RIVER TENT and is the author of the acclaimed 2021 novel THE WANDERES. He is also a journalist, columnist, reviewer, and cultural commentator. Mphuthumi joins Fiona Snyckers and Gail Schimmel to talk about how he draws on the…

Jarred Thompson's stunning debut novel THE INSTITUTE FOR CREATIVE DYING won the UJ Debut Prize and has been shortlisted for the Sunday Times Fiction Prize. Jarred joins Fiona Snyckers and Gail Schimmel to talk about how he structured his complex narrative and juggled the voices of his different characters. He…

Nthikeng Mohlele is a prolific and critically acclaimed author of multiple novels and short stories - most recently 'Revolutionaries' House'. His novel 'Breasts' has just been shortlisted for the UJ Prize for Fiction. Nthikeng joins Fiona Snyckers and Gail Schimmel to talk about how music informs his fiction and how…