Durban University of Technology’s (DUT’s) alumni and world-renowned poet, artist and writer is releasing her latest anthology titled: Conversations with The Human.

In celebration of the release, she will host a one-woman show and book launch at the Durban Art Gallery from Friday, 29 June to 30 June 2018 and on Sunday, 1 July 2018 at the Tatham Art Gallery, Pietermaritzburg.

Her book is a collection of her work and her life journey as a writer, over the past 10 years and is meant to build, inspire and help people.

“Most of the work I’ll be performing is work that has saved me and got me through some really tough times.  I want people to understand and feel that this more than just words, that a lot of emotions are invested into it. Writers and poets, we too are human and this is how we get through all that we go through,” she said.

Growing up, she was fed magical sonnets and rhythmic poetry by poets Dr Gcina Mhlophe from a young age. She has helped a number of young people with their issues through poetry sessions and spoken words as a peer educator in various schools and colleges in and around Pinetown. In 2012 and 2013, she was nominated for Best Female Performance Poet for the Original Material Awards at the Poetry Africa International Festival where she performed alongside poetry legends such as Lebo Mashile, Mbali Vilakazi and Lesego Rampolokeng. In 2015 her work was published in the anthology “Home Is Where the Mic Is”, featuring 24 of the world’s best upcoming modern contemporary spoken word artists.

“Most of my work is relatable, I talk about family, love, childhood and sometimes politics, and these are all the things that we have in common, as humans” she said.

The book, Conversations with The Human, consists of some of the work she has accumulated over the years, she now shares them with the readers so they can use her work as a reference when they need to learn from it or when they are going through something but most of all it is there to encourage a reading nation.

“I want the reader to be able to go back to it whenever they need to, to take from it what they need to help them through or just for enjoyment, moreover, it is to encourage the culture of reading,” she said.

On Friday entry to the book launch is free and the book will be on sale for R100 and the launch will commence at 6pm. On Saturday tickets will be sold at R120 each and are available from Thando Fuze. On Sunday, tickets are sold at R80 each. The launch will start at 1pm for both Saturday and Sunday.

For more information, email: fuzepoet@gmail.com

Pictured: DUT’s Alumni, Thando Fuze.

Tina Shabalala