Listen to Lebo Mashile to get a grounded, sober view of life as a poet and what it takes to succeed. Like any artist of substance, Lebo talks with sincerity, her depth of insight delivered in simple words; she’s not here to impress, she’s here to do what few writers do, to open herself to her appreciative fans.

On a cloudless Saturday afternoon in Pretoria, I have the indulgent pleasure, along with a packed audience, of an open discussion between Lebo Mashile and Phillippa Yaa de Villiers. I’m biased of course, I am a serious Phillippa fan, she has serenaded my soul many times with lines that nourish the spirit and tickle the ears with sweet soft sprays of sunlight. She is the mirror that we must all look into, the dancer whose contortions we must mimic, the poet whose wisdom we all must put in our pipes and smoke slowly, eternally. But today we’re here to celebrate Lebo Mashile ... read more