#4  Short stories I wrote myself

Loading player...
Why making stories matters.

In this episode I share with you four stories I wrote myself. I used to be 'only' a reader, yet I started to notice the question in my body: 'Where is my creative output?'. Inspired by Brenee Brown and the theory she shares in her book 'Rising Strong', about the importance of stories and the possibility to create connection between people via story making, I started to write down my own stories.

The first story I share is about a heavy topic. I grew up with a parent that struggled with depression; so I got to know this 'thing' up close. Depression comes in many forms which is why our experiences often differ. The story 'The death of a deathly pale girl who loved dark chocolate', expresses my look on what can happen when depression lives inside a family. The other three stories are much lighter in topic. 'The coffee date' is a short story about an encounter with someone in a mall in Johannesburg. 'A morning walk to the Seine' was a writing exercise from my mentor and writer Barbara Adair. I went on an African Art Gallery expedition in Paris in 2022 and as writing exercise she gave me the assignment to sit at the Seine and write a story. This is that story. The last story, I share with you is called 'The heir'. It is a short, short story: it is actually more of a dream. A dream I have about the city Johannesburg.

Each short story I share with you in this episode is an expression of a thought or feeling, yet I wrapped words around them. And I hope each story will spark a connection with you.
Season 1 / Episode 4 21 Oct English South Africa Books · Arts

Other recent episodes

Jane Eyre in Africa

How to read Jane Eyre in Africa. In this episode I talk about my experience when I discussed my favourite book, Jane Eyre, with a group of teenagers in Hillbrow at the Windybrow Arts Centre in Johannesburg. I share with you what I discover about this book during this journey…
Season 1 / Episode 5 14 min

Stuck inside a nightmare

In this episode, I have a conversation with South African writer Barbara Adair about the book Crooked Seeds from Karen Jennings. This book is published by Karavan Press in 2024. I share with you how I know Barbara and how we decided we were going to have a conversation about…
Season 1 / Episode 3 30 min

A winter's night by candlelight

A challenging read that proved to be fun! In this episode, I share with you what I discussed with a few people who joined the book club evening @Saint Germain, 44 Stanley, Johannesburg on the 9th of May, 2024. We read If on a Winter's Night a Traveler, published in…
Season 1 / Episode 2 12 min
 trailer  

Welcome to The Story Explorer

Hello listener, welcome to my podcast series: The Story explorer. I am a reader who has the need to talk with others about what I’ve read. I have started and joined many book clubs. I now run one in a little café in Johannesburg. You are all welcome to join…
Season 1 / Episode 0 1 min

How slavery got stamped on our history

We are told "it takes two to be a slave". I will share with you what the book club evening was like in a little cafe in Johannesburg, early 2024. On this specific evening I discussed the book Homegoing, written by Yaa Gyasi in 2016. This book is her debut…
Season 1 / Episode 1 13 min