So You Want to Write a Short Story…

Join Joanne Hichens – editor, author, and curator of the acclaimed Short.Sharp.Stories Awards – along with guest writers, Kamva Majo and David Mann for a free webinar on the art and craft of the short story.

We'll explore what makes a great short story, how to find and develop your idea, how to know when your story is finished, and where to submit your work once it's ready.

Whether you're writing your first short story or looking to sharpen your craft, this is your chance to learn from one of South Africa's most experienced short story editors.

Can’t make it live? No problem we’ll send the replay to everyone who registers.

Joanne Hichens is a Cape Town-based author, editor, and curator of the Short.Sharp.Stories Awards series. Short.Sharp.Stories showcases quality South African short fiction by established and emerging writers. Her anthologies include Bloody Satisfied, Adults Only (winner of the NIHSS Award for Best Edited Collection), Incredible Journey, Fluid and One Life. Stories from the series have been shortlisted for and won the Caine Prize for African Writing. She is also the author of the memoir Death and the After Parties and holds an MA in Creative Writing from the University of Cape Town.

Through her writing, Kamva Majo hopes to illuminate hidden truths, spark conversations, and remind others they’re not alone, contributing to ikamva, the future. Facing financial exclusion at university, she channeled her struggles into storytelling, inspiring her first published short story, in Power. Majo was also a top ten finalist of the DALRO Can Themba Short Story Award.

David Mann is a multi-award-winning writer, editor and art critic from Johannesburg. His short fiction has appeared in Portside Review,AFREADA, The Kalahari Review, ITCH Creative Journal, wherewithall, Imbiza Journal, Ons Klyntji, The Thinker, strange matters, and NewContrast. In 2024, he received the Thomas Pringle Award for his short story ‘Meaningful Contributions’. His debut collection of short fiction, Once Removed (Botsotso 2024) features thirteen subtly interlinked stories about the South African art world.

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