Few literary festivals can claim to take place in the home of the writer they honour, but the Karoo Writers Festival is one of them. Returning to Cradock in the Eastern Cape from June 18 to 20, the 2026 edition is hosted jointly by Amazwi South African Museum of Literature and the Victoria Manor Hotel, with readings and events anchored at the Olive Schreiner House Museum, the childhood home of Olive Schreiner (1855–1920), South Africa’s first internationally celebrated writer. Author of The Story of an African Farm, Schreiner was a pioneering feminist, anti-war activist, and anti-imperialist thinker whose work challenged Victorian gender norms and colonial power long before those were fashionable positions to hold. The Olive Schreiner Prize for Poetry, regarded internationally as equivalent to the T.S. Eliot Prize, is named in her honour, and previous recipients include Antjie Krog, Njabulo Ndebele, and Mongane Wally Serote.

Set in the literary and historical heart of the Karoo, the festival draws writers, poets, educators, and readers to a three-day programme of readings, launches, workshops, performances, and conversations rooted in both South African literary tradition and the living voices of the present. The 2026 edition is anchored by the AVBOB Poetry Project and promises an especially rich lineup of guests. The headline guest this year is Stephen Symons, whose fifth poetry collection The Algebra of Insignificance won the 2026 Olive Schreiner Prize for Poetry. He will deliver a session for educators on why poetry matters in the classroom and will speak about his own writing journey across the weekend. Joining him is Zongezile Matshoba, winner of the AVBOB Award for isiXhosa Poetry, who will read from his prize-winning work on Friday morning, alongside poets Jeannie Wallace McKeown and Deborah Seddon, each reading from their respective collections. Community voices from the Nxuba Creatives Council, including spoken word performers Qhalo Soul and Zilo, will bring the indigenous literary spirit of the Eastern Cape directly into the programme.

Jessica Powers, award-winning author writing as J.L. Powers and founder of Catalyst Press, which she launched to publish African-authored and African-based books, and the driving force behind #ReadingAfrica, the annual week-long celebration of African literature, will speak on writing for young adult audiences and appear in conversation with festival presenter Izak de Vries, who will also sit down with Jan Glazewski about his memoir Blood and Silver. Glazewski’s book gets the full theatrical treatment on Friday evening, performed as a one-man show by David Muller. Husband-and-wife writing team Chris Marais and Julienne du Toit, beloved chroniclers of Karoo life and landscape, will lead two workshops across the weekend, one on memoir writing and capturing a family’s story, one on how to produce your own book, and will close Saturday evening with a Karoo slideshow and the launch of their new title, Klein Karoo Magic. Clinton V du Plessis, AVBOB Afrikaans Poetry Prize winner, reads from his new collection Maar steeds sal daar miskien at the opening night showcase, and playwright and food writer Tony Jackman hosts the Saturday dinner alongside the launch of Retro Karoo Food.

The three days move from the intimacy of the Olive Schreiner House, where visitors can also explore new exhibitions and a sneak peek at upcoming displays, to the warmth of the Victoria Manor Hotel, with a literary walking tour of Lower Cradock, open mic sessions, and live music from ACCESS Music threaded through the evenings. The surrounding town offers its own literary and cultural heritage: the Cradock Arts Hub, the Writers’ Room at the Fish River Museum, the Cradock Four Garden of Remembrance, and San rock art in the Mountain Zebra National Park are all within reach for those who arrive early or stay late.

Day passes, full-day packages combining lunch, dinner, and events, and individual tickets are available across both days, with educator sessions kindly sponsored by the AVBOB Poetry Project. For enquiries and bookings, contact the Victoria Manor Hotel at [email protected], and visit amazwi.museum for the full programme and further details.