Aspirant authors stand a chance of getting their stories published, thanks to a partnership between an NPO, the University of the Western Cape (UWC) and an author.
Athlone-based Reading and Writing Solutions (RWS), teamed up with the university’s community engagement unit and author Manichand Beharilal, who is the founder of Manichand Beharilal Literary Services Publishing (MBLS).
Jeff Paulse, founder of RWS, said they would choose the 10 best-written stories for publication from a three-day story writing workshop run by Mr Beharilal.
The workshop, at UWC’s Chemical Sciences Building from Wednesday July 13 to Friday July 15, is open to anyone who wants to become a writer.
“I would encourage everybody who thinks they have an inspirational story to share with the world to sign up for the workshop. This will be a long-term investment in human capital. I’m very excited about this project, as we will turn an ordinary person, into a powerful, published author, over a period of time,” Mr Paulse said.
Mr Beharilal, an internationally recognised children’s author, who regularly runs creative writing workshops across South Africa, will guide the process. On the third day of the workshop, the written stories will be edited, and after three months, the 10 best stories will be selected for publication.
The idea to produce published authors is the brainchild of Professor Priscilla Daniels. After listening to one of the stories of an RWS volunteer, she was convinced that a project like this is needed.
Mr Paulse said: “We want to remain true to our motto, which states: ‘Changing lives and empowering people.’ We have gone way above our initial mission of empowering a weak reader at school. We have also seen significant changes in the lives of our volunteers as well.
It was also through the UWC partnership that Mr Paulse was able to complete a 15-month course on transformational leadership for sustainable community development.
The course was the result of an exchange programme between the University of Missouri in America and UWC. In July last year, Mr Paulse was among five community leaders in Cape Town who were selected to present their work to the University of Missouri.
If you would like to sign up at a cost of R600, call Mr Paulse at 082 216 2460 or Samantha Faure at 076 368 7898 or email: readwrite14@gmail.com.