Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
Win a cameo role in Lauren Beukes’s next book
YOU can jump off mountains or out of planes for fun, take a class, drink wine and eat food, watch a movie, go for a spa treatment, or you can read a book.
The fifth Open Book Festival is coming up next month, celebrating all things literary with discussions, debates and workshops. More than 100 authors including more than 20 international authors from America, Nigeria, and the UK will be participating in three elements – the core programme, Poetica, and Comics Fest. It’s never too soon to instil a love for reading and this year there is a section called Kidzone where children can enjoy art to colour in, as well as learn more about literature.
“People tend to think literary festivals are quite dull but that’s never been my experience with Open Book,” said award-winning author Lauren Beukes ( Broken Monsters, The Shining Girls) whose fans include George RR Martin, Stephen King, and me.
“So I’m doing a ton of events from a fund-raising dinner where there will be a writer at every table, to Writer Sports.” Beukes likens it to Whose Line Is It Anyway? in which audience members suggest subjects and genres, and the writing takes place on stage.
Beukes will be joined for this by Khaya Dlanga, Patrick Gale, Petina Gappah, Fred Strydom, Laura van den Berg and Kathryn White, with Ben Williams as MC.
While you still have time to plan your Open Book attendance, you have less than a week left to enter the raffle to win fabulous prizes including a “walk on” cameo role – with a mention by name and a little dialogue – in Beukes’s next published work, either her novel or graphic novel.
“I did one of these for a violenceagainst-women charity recently. It was a $1 000 reward and the guy who won it is a long-time follower of mine on Twitter,” said Beukes.
“I thought that was amazing and decided to use those details, which were a better fit with the comic. So if there is something interesting like that I might use it as well. It will be at my discretion – you can’t use this to screw someone over, or get back at an ex.
“People ask me ‘do you kill your enemies in your books?’ Firstly I’m really bad at holding grudges so I can never remember who my enemies are, and also, why would I want to immortalise someone I can’t stand? I’m not giving them that. I’ll kill people I like.”
The rest of the prize comprises a pair of tickets to every production and screening presented at and by The Fugard Theatre for two years (from next month), two VIP tickets to the opening night next month of David Kramer’s musical, Orpheus In Africa, where the winners will be invited to meet the cast for snacks after the performance, and a pair of Open Book Festival passes valid for the next five years.
● Buy a raffle ticket online at Webtickets (www.webtickets.co.za) for R100. The closing date is on Wednesday, and the winner will be announced on Friday.