• The first women writers festival took place on the 12th of February, 2023.
• The primary objective is to showcase the work of female writers
• The secondary objective is to promote a culture of reading.

On the 12th of February, an event that celebrated and showcased the works of female writers took place. This is an initiative hosted by the University of Johannesburg’s Johannesburg Institute of Advance Studies.

The event was a free event that aimed to foster integrational conversations between writers and to also create a platform for new writers.

The culture of reading is lacking among the youths of so many countries and the direct effect of this is backwardness. The organizers of this event intended to bridge that gap and develop a culture of reading by creating dynamic and interactive links between writers, readers and publishers.

The event also chartered for children, created entertainment and a storytelling space. Books were also on sales.

Even though the event was for books and reading, the organizer of the festival, Lorraine Sithole explained how it wasn’t focused on titles of specific books but the festival encapsulated the book value chain space. She said, “This festival is not a book-based festival. We are not zooming into various titles, but we are looking at the book value chain space as a whole.” She further stated, “We are also going to look at the production of the book. What does it take from writing your manuscript, right up until seeing your book in a finished form.”

In her address regarding the creation of this event and its intention, she said “Reading is such an individual and lonely thing. It’s important to keep a community of readers going, a network of friends that you can touch base with once or twice a month.”

This is the first ever Johannesburg Festival of Women Writers.