Digest of South African writing on Substack - 27 March - 7 April A lot to digest in this digest!

Here's the latest digest of South Africans writing on Substack. There is a huge range of wonderful writing here - from politics to poetry, agriculture to AI. Check it out and discover some new favourite writers open.substack.com/pub/southafr...

So many literary competitions require that the writers have not previously published a novel, but to me this feels prohibitive.

A novel published outside of the USA / UK is very different from a novel published in those markets. For instance - a bestseller in SA is over 1000 copies.

Thoughts?

Writing from life Two workshops in April on Memoir and Life Writing

I'm offering two writing workshops in April focussed on writing from life (memoir, journalling, autobiography, and fiction). Spaces are limited so book your seat soon jenthorpewrites.substack.com/p/writing-fr...

A living list of South African Substack writers Last updated - 12 March 2026

There are almost 300 South African writers writing on Substack - posts that span the entire range of human emotion and interest. Take a look, follow and subscribe open.substack.com/pub/southafr...

Monday digest of South African writing on Substack - 21 - 28 February 2026 February is done and we were writing it! 136 posts this digest.

This week South African writers on Substack posted over 130 new pieces of writing. You can check those out, here open.substack.com/pub/southafr...

Write with Jen Thorpe | Substack A writing workshops substack. Click to read Write with Jen Thorpe, a Substack publication.

In March I'm running 3 writing workshops and I'd love you to join:

12 March: Publishing with @panmacmillan.bsky.social SA, with Andrea Nattrass (Free)
14 March: Cape Town: Writing Speculative (ZAR 500)
20 March: Zoom: Writing Speculative (ZAR 400)

All the details, here jenthorpewrites.substack.com

Speculative fiction workshops in March And an opportunity to download the 'writing love' workshop

I'm running creative writing workshops in March on the topic of speculative fiction. I'd love to have you there. Here are all the details open.substack.com/pub/jenthorp...

Here's an overview of the creative writing workshops I'm offering online and in Cape Town in the first half of this year. More details in the post

jenthorpewrites.substack.com/p/2026-works...

Collaborative Publishing with Indeed Books Everything you need to know in less than an hour

Earlier in December we chatted online to @jenthorpewriter.bsky.social about Collaborative Publishing and Indeed Books. Follow the link to learn about Collaborative Publishing and how we landed on the name Indeed Books.

jenthorpewrites.substack.com/p/collaborat...

Adulting...it's confusing, it's expensive, and nobody ever tells you how to do it right. Luckily, Adulting 101 @jenthorpewriter.bsky.social is here to tell me all the things about love and life and navigating my damn taxes I really should've learned aaages ago. Great read! #booksky

Two special events on publishing your book. So you want to hybrid publish your book? These two events will clarify everything you need to know.

Two free special events on publishing your book happening this December. Pop me an email if you'd like to attend. open.substack.com/pub/jenthorp...

A single knock. I found a boy dragging a twiggy arm across a snotty nose, his eyes narrow.
‘You’re not Luke.’
‘I’m his mum.’
The boy pushed past me, muddy prints trailing behind.
‘Luke!’ He shouted,‘We need to talk.’
‘He’s out.’
‘I’ll wait.’
The boy sat, chewing off a nail.
‘Tea?’
‘Alright then.’

Me and countless other authors today…😂