PAST SESSIONS

*7 May: @ 8pm SAST: Love Sex and Leonard Cohen : Beryl Eichenberger is in conversation with Tamar Hodes about her novel ’The Water and the Wine.

*14 May: @8pm SAST: ‘‘Everyone is present” Essays on photography, memory and family’’. Terry Kurgan is in conversation with Richard Freedman about her book.

*21 May: @8pm SAST: Thomas Harding talks to Linda Hackner about his book ‘Legacy: One family, a cup of tea and the Company that took on the world.

*27 May: @ 8pm SAST: ‘One Day in Bethlehem” Jonny Steinberg’s latest book tells of a murder outside a Free State town in 1992 and how it changed the lives of all involved.  He is in conversation with Jonathan Ancer.

2 July: 2 SAST: How do we fix the broken world? When is fiction more useful than history? Co-authors Diane Awerbuck and Alex Latimer (under pen-name Frank Owen) discuss the diaspora, the diseases we share, and their search for an authentic voice.

09 July: @ 8pm SAST: Journeys into the heart of families living with Autism and one of its leading causes – Fragile X Syndrome. Ilana Gerschlowitz and Hedi Lampert discuss their respective books.

*16 July @ 8pm SAST: ‘Cyril’s Choices- lessons from 25 years of freedom in South Africa’. Author and journalist John Matisonn is in conversation with Jonathan Ancer.

tPostponed: 23 July @ 8pm SAST: ‘The role and limits of lawfare in South Africa in 2020’. Judge Dennis Davis talks about his latest book to Prof. Pierre de Vos.

* 30 July @ 8pm SAST:A taste of South Africa with the Kosher Butcher’s Wife’ Sharon Lurie in discussion with foodie Ami Kapilevich about her third cookbook, the origins of her passion for food, family history, heritage, and how to take your meat dishes to the next level.

*6 August @ 8pm SAST: The role and limits of lawfare in South Africa in 2020: The gross imperfections of politics in South Africa mean that citizens are often left with no choice but to turn to the courts to vindicate their rights. Judge Dennis Davis talks about his latest book “Lawfare: Judging Politics in South Africa” to Prof. Pierre de Vos.

13 August @ 8pm SAST: Plagues, pox and pandemics: Prof. Howard Philips 2012 book gives rise to this discussion with Prof. Barry Stroub reviewing  historical pandemics, their long-term consequences and the likely impact of the Covid-19  pandemic.

20 August @ 8pm SAST: Unparalleled access: Biographies written by relatives of legendary South Africans: Toni Strasburg, daughter of struggle icons Rusty and Hilda Bernstein, and Daniel Browde, grandson of celebrated jurist Jules Browde, discuss their books and their unique perspectives with moderator Lisa Chait.

*27 August@ 8pm SAST: The gospel according to Wanda B Lazarus
Lynn Joffe’s new book spans 2000 years as protagonist Wanda strides the ages. Diane Awerbuck speaks to Lynn about the origins of her novel, why mature women make the best writers, and the things we learn during the writing process.

*3 September @ 8pm SAST:  ‘Leaving Graffiti’: A two-for-one chat about words, books and storytelling with Steven ‘Boykey’ Sidley (Leaving Word) and Gus Silber  (Electric Graffiti’) in lively discussion.

*10 September @8pm SAST:  Talking Sex, Gender and Identity. General practitioner in Sea Point by day, LGBTQIA and human rights defender by night, Dr Anastasia Tomson wears many hats. Identifying as queer, trans, Jewish, asexual, vegan, and tired, Anastacia’s memoir offers an intimate window into her experiences. She talks to psychologist Judith Ancer.

17 September: No event due to upcoming Rosh Hashana

24 September:  No event due to upcoming Yom Kippur

*1 October @8pm SAST:  Betrayal – the secret lives of apartheid spies: What does it take to lead a double life, deceiving those closest to you? Jonathan Ancer talks to Gus Silber about some apartheid era spies; from the navy commander on Russia’s payroll to the party girl who fell in love with Cuba.

*8 October @ 8pm SAST: Let me Play’, the Papwa Sewgolum story: Author Barry Cohen chats to veteran sportswriter Luke Alfred about Papwa Sewgolum – possibly South Africa’s greatest golfer – and his influence in breaking down Apartheid

15 October @ 8pm SAST: Writing Jewish characters — when you’re not Jewish: Where angels fear to tread Helen Moffett, Qarnita Loxton and Dawn Garisch talk to Kate Sidley.

*22 October @ 8pm SAST: Feverish: Author Gigi Fenster had an unusual proposal for a PhD – she would induce a fever in herself in an effort to experience fevered dreams. The result inspired her second book, Feverish, which she discusses with fellow author Karina Szczurek

*29 October @ 8pm SAST: Love and Greed – The World of Tusk and Horn; A conversation about conservation: Don Pinnock and Helena Kriel in conversation about their respective books –‘The Last Elephant’ and ‘Meditating with Rhinos’.

*5 November @ 8pm SAST: Life interrupted: A bipolar memoir: is both a brilliantly lucid and brutal memoir, capturing the author’s devastating three-decade journey with Bipolar1.Author Samantha Smirin is in conversation with Irene Berman

*12 November @ 8pm SAST:  So, for the record: Behind the headlines in an era of state capture: Veteran journalist Anton Harber brings all his investigative skills to bear on his very own profession, the media. For two years he conducted dozens of interviews with politicians, journalists, policemen, state security agents and ‘deep throats’, before piecing together two remarkable tales. Anton is in conversation with investigative journalist Sam Sole.

*19 November @ 8pm SAST: Blood on her hands: South Africa’s most notorious female killers: Meet Daisy de Melker who ‘lovingly’ prepared strychnine – laced coffee for her son; or Najwa Piersen, who hugged her husband while killing him in cold blood.  Author Tanya Farber is in conversation with Sunday Times journalist Nicki Gules about nine of of South Africa’s most notorious female murderers.

26 November @8pm SAST: Bringing fictional characters to life: Nechama Brodie, Gail Schimmel, Hedi Lampert talk to Nancy Richards about whether an author plunders their own psyche and behaviours and those of others, to put credible flesh on the bones of their cast, or if they are birthed in their imagination.

Legend: * video available