Salons

Annie Finch

Annie Finch (born October 31, 1956) is an American poet, critic, editor, translator, playwright, and performer and the editor of the first major anthology of literature about abortion. Her poetry is known for its often incantatory use of rhythm, meter, and poetic form and for its themes of feminism, witchcraft, goddesses, and earth-based spirituality. Her books include The Poetry Witch Little Book of Spells, Spells: New and Selected Poems, The Body of Poetry: Essays on Women, Form, and the Poetic Self, A Poet’s Craft, Calendars, and Among the Goddesses.

More information at anniefinch.com.

Bernadette Muthien

For over twenty years Bernedette Muthien has held executive and senior management positions in academia, civil society and the public sector in South Africa and abroad. She is an accomplished facilitator, researcher and poet who designs, implements and evaluates projects for diverse institutions locally and internationally. Based in Cape Town, she is Research Fellow at the Office of International Affairs, University of the Free State, and is serving a second term on the Council of Iziko Museums of South Africa.

She has over 200 publications and conference presentations, some of which have been translated from English into at least 16 other languages. She was the Fulbright-Amy Biehl fellow at Stanford University, and holds postgraduate degrees in Political Science from the University of Cape Town (Dean’s Merit List), and Stellenbosch University (Andrew W Mellon Fellow). Her book project while Visiting Research Fellow at the Centre for African Studies at UCT, Rethinking Africa: Indigenous Women Re-interpret Southern Africa’s Pasts, was published by Jacana during 2021, and nominated for several book prizes.

Her first solo poetry collection was called "ova". A 2nd solo poetry collection is due for release later this year, and is dedicated to her indigenous mother and called: Blue Lotus and Waterblommetjies.