Must love books | My #FLF2025 experience

A book lover’s deep dive into the magic of the 2025 Franschhoek Literary Festival; a celebration of storytelling, creative exchange, and the unique spirit of place that inspires readers and writers. From rubbing shoulders with authors to soaking in the autumnal charm of Franschhoek, the FLF is a weekend where stories come alive and the written word connects strangers. It's a literary pilgrimage that reminds us why books — and the people behind them — matter. It's a love letter to storytelling, curiosity, and the enduring power of place.

In Gilmore Girls (S4, E3), Rory arrives at Yale and discovers ‘shopping week’ — a chance to sample as many classes as she wants. True to form, she signs up for 50 (with 10 more on standby). Her excitement is contagious. That’s exactly how I felt booking sessions for this year’s Franschhoek Literary Festival (FLF).

This wasn’t my first rodeo at the FLF. Last year I dipped my toes into 5 sessions. This year? I dove headfirst into 11, wishing I could have attended even more.

The FLF is every book lover’s dream: a literary ‘candy store’ where the hardest part is choosing what not to attend.

The bookish sights, sounds, smells, colours and tastes give you all the feels. It's a wonderland of learning. 

As a reader | You get to meet authors you’ve read, get books signed, be exposed to writers, essayists and poets you haven't read, talk to strangers about books they've read, and, of course, buy the odd book (or two). 

As a writer | You get to meet published writers of all genres, publishers, professors, and sit at their feet, learn from them, and be inspired by them. Your takeaway? To go forth and write. It’s as simple and as complicated as that.  

Here are my broad, sweeping strokes of the #FLF2025. 

A collective camaraderie

A gathering of bright-eyed and bushy-tailed literary enthusiasts descend on Franschhoek for this much anticipated weekend. The hype is real. 

I would, however, be remiss if I didn’t thank the town of Franschhoek and her residents for opening their arms and sharing their corner of the world - it all its autumnal glory - with us. A big compliment must go to the logistical prowess of the FLF organisers in arranging the times and venues for 124 sessions over 2 and ½  days.

This all culminates in an on-the-ground buzz and energy that is ineffable. (Jackie Phamotse - author of The Tea Merchant and one of the guest authors - said in her interview that when reading a book, besides it causing you to think, feel and perhaps look at the world differently, there must be at least one new word/phrase that you learn. I am hoping ‘ineffable’ makes the cut for those of you reading this blog.) 

There are crowds, but you never feel crowded. There are incessant conversations, but you never feel overwhelmed by voices. There is much backwards and forwards between the venues, but you never feel rushed. 

Everyone is on a similar mission: to be inspired by fellow writers, and to learn from published authors, poets, journalists, and essayists.

That is the incomparable ‘magic’ of the Franschhoek Literary Festival. It's a festival about people and place, and for 3 days you can't help but be caught up in its spell. 

An impressive lineup

This is obviously the place to be. The behind-the-scenes FLF organisational crew need to be commended on snagging quality local and international guest speakers and authors.

Before honing in on a few of the author meet-ups, writer sessions and panel discussions I attended, I want to mention two outstanding on-stage interviewer ‘performances’ that stood out for me. Pippa Hudson and Kabous Meiring - 2 completely different characters - have the ability to imbue their interview moments with a conversational and intuitive stage presence and persona that made them as engaging to listen to as those being interviewed. 

My author and workshop lineup: 

• Kate Mosse - 3 sessions, including afternoon tea at La Cotte Wine Farm.

• Justin fox  - Travel writing workshop.

• Shaun de Waal - Book review writing workshop

• Hedley Twidle - Creative nonfiction masterclass.

• Jackie Phomotse -On her new novel, the Tea Merchant. A genre combo of crime/romance that takes us to a rooibos farm in the Cedarberg. 

• Sally-Ann Murray, Uhuri Portia Phalafala, Liesl Johnson and Wamuwi Mbao - On the creative mind and  sense-making when it comes to the creative process.

• Deon Meyer, Bibi Slippers, JPO Jonker, and Ian Roberts - ‘Sit Maar’. A panel discussion (in Afrikaans) hosted by Kabous Meiring.

• Reuben Riffell and Chantal Lascaris in conversation with Ilse van der Merwe (The Food Fox) - On food, cookbooks and self-expression.

• Obie Oberholzer - ‘Double Dorping’ -  a photographic storytelling journey and social commentary on 9 Dutch cities and 9 South African platteland towns with the same name. 

But, in between this jam-packed itinerary of sessions, talks, workshops and masterclasses, there are moments of pause, reprieve and reflection.

Moments to sit at one of the coffee shops and just watch the world go by. 

Moments to absorb your surroundings: the historical beauty of Cape vernacular architecture, the rolling vineyards, the softness of the light against the mountain backdrop which keeps watch over the literary ‘chaos’.

The interplay of nature and fleeting human creativity is a sacred part of the weekend’s escape. It urges you to slow down and take it all in. 

This is the perfect segue to my next point…

The spirit of a place

Justin fox - prominent South African travel writer - loves to bang on about the ‘spirit of place’; the ‘genus loci’. He is, after all, the author of ‘Place’ - a one-of-a-kind travelogue.

In his words: “This travelogue is, in a sense, my love letter to South Africa, combining places and books that are close to my heart. It gave me a chance to explore notions about “spirit of place”, home and emigration, patriotism and the particular attraction of the landscape. Place is thus a kind of manifesto, bringing together my ideas about writing and travel, land and literature.” 

To conjure up the spirit, or, as I understand it, the character/DNA, of a place like Franschhoek - especially during the FLF - is to tap into the unique exchange between landscape, people, stories, and atmosphere. 

It’s not about listing details, it’s about what a place evokes. You become a quiet observer. A listener.

You have to ‘tune in’ to a place’s elusive voice and feel its essence just below the surface of the energetic comings and goings. A voice that is anchored in architecture, landscape, history, light, predecessors, and space. 

This happens as you sit in the wooden pews of the NG church, as you pass by the cemetery, and as you walk along the avenue of oak trees in Huguenot street. 

Just listen. Just observe. Just wait. 

The place will speak to you. It will release its voice. 

“There’s no better way to get to know a city than to walk its streets. A place will reveal its soul through its sights, sounds and smells, and eventually, it’ll teach you its rhythm.” -Henry Mosquera, Sleeper's Run

Whispers of the past

Kate Mosse - esteemed author of the Joubert Family Saga - and a pioneer in women’s literature, talks about place as focusing on the whispers of the past. 

She believes that a place is the keeper of stories. 

In fact, while attending her first Franschhoek Literary Festival in 2012, and standing in the town’s cemetery, she imagined a woman standing by a gravestone bending down to wipe the lichen off a gravestone when a hand came down and hit her on the head. 

It took Kate years to discover exactly who that fictional character was and she only showed herself halfway through Book 4 of the Joubert Chronicles: 'The Map of Bones.'

Through her novels - starting with the Wars of Religion in France in 1562 - we follow a Huguenot family as they flee persecution; first to Holland, back to France, and then to the Cape of Good Hope. 

It’s a fascinating journey - not just for the characters, but for the author too. And we, as readers, are rewarded with four captivating novels that bring this powerful chapter of what Kate calles ‘herstory’ to life. It’s not about writing men out of ‘history,’ but rather putting strong women protagonists back into it, where they belong, and where they always were. In her fathers words: "It’s creating a bigger table with more chairs" and it makes for really good historical fiction!

The creative process | Head or heart? 

A curious question, and one that was tackled with a philosophical spin by four English Department lecturers and published authors from Stellenbosch University.

Sally-Ann Murray, editor of the The Creative Arts | On Practice, Making and Meaning, tackles the age-old chicken or egg debate in a stimulating conversation with fellow scholarly minds: Uhuri Portia Phalafala, Liesl Johnson and Wamuwi MbaoIs. Is the starting point for writing cognitive or intuitive? Is the process cerebral or is it visceral and mercurial. What is the catalyst for curiosity and creativity? 

As is often the case when you put a group of academics together in a room, the higher level eloquence is mind blowing and you never quite understand the answer. But then, was the question actually answered? 

What was moving and instructive, however, was the moment when each of the panel read an extract from their own published work in the anthology. I think the answer showed itself quite clearly as each academic’s unique and creative stylistic voice was heard in their own written words. 

As Shaun de Waal is the king of book reviews (and because I attended his workshop at this year's FLF),  I thought it appropriate to include his review of the anthology.

The story we walk into at the Franschhoek Literary Festival

How does one sum up such a notable event? I will end where I started. 

Much like Rory’s wide-eyed wonder at Yale’s ‘shopping week,’ the Franschhoek Literary Festival invites us to wander curiously through a big world of ideas, stories, and voices. It’s an escape into a living narrative where every session is a chapter, every conversation a subplot, and every quiet moment of reflection a poetic pause.

At #FLF2025, readers and writers were reminded of the deep, enduring magic of storytelling: how it connects us, shapes us, and reminds us that behind every name on a book cover is a beating heart, a struggling author, and a long road of thought, courage, and creativity. 

At its core, this festival is an open invitation. To read more. To write more. To feel more. To make space for more stories.

And whether you’re a reader or a writer, the FLF reminds you why stories matter, and why yours might, too.

Perhaps that’s the inherent spirit of the Franschhoek Literary Festival.

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