History of our Writing Workshops

The Department of Afrikaans and Dutch has been presenting workshops on creative writing for students and members of the public since 1999. The purpose of our annual workshops is to offer prospective writers the opportunity of honing their talents under guidance of an established writer or an expert from the writing and publishing profession. Poetry is by far the most popular genre, but workshops in other genres are also regularly presented: short stories (including regional and magazine stories); columns and essays; novels; dramas; and children and youth literature. Workshops for high-school pupils have also been presented. Among the more than 50 writers who have already presented workshops are the Hertzog Prize winners Marlene van Niekerk, Ingrid Winterbach, Henning Pieterse, Petra Müller, Deon Opperman and Tertius Kapp.