Let’s phrase my hiatus as a longwinded silence, during which:

• I completed my MA English Literature degree, finishing off a thesis entitled “Travel Broadens: Joanne Kyger and Rooted Cosmopolitanism.” Mostly, I hoped to navigate the tension between regionalism and travel in Kyger’s poetry. The section I enjoyed writing most close-read the layout of a poem as a landscape. My supervisor thought I was pushing my academic luck; luckily my second evaluator graded for passion, not only proof.
• I moved from Montreal to Cape Town. There are now 10 boxes of books stacked in a friend’s stairwell, and a scanty row of poetry collections that made their way with me across the Atlantic. I said goodbye to invaluable friends and to the city of my birth. For now. The move has sparked many a correspondence, which, in literary terms, is a major plus.
• I started writing full-time. As I type, I’m sitting at a trestle table strewn with printouts, scribbles and books, looking out onto a beautiful view of Table Mountain and its mood swing, right now it is sunny. I’ll be recording some of the projects I’m working on here. Since it’s the Franschhoek Literary Festival this weekend, I’ll talk about that soon. And I’m going to be offering some thoughts on the 2012 Caine Prize shortlist, together with a host of talented bloggers, more on that shortly…

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