The written and spoken word has the power to shackle and liberate our minds. In the words of Garrison Keillor “A book is a gift you can open again and again.” I too offer you a gift of storytelling through poetry to imagine a new world, discover new places and faces. Let letters become words, words become sentences, sentences become paragraphs, and paragraphs become your stories. To fuel these stories with endless possibilities, we need to nourish our mind with new stories and possibilities gained through reading. When we do this, we create a healthy fulfilling cycle that keeps on giving. Here are some quotes on the power of reading: “When we read, we are able to travel to many places, meet many people and understand the world.” Nelson Mandela “Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body.” Sir Richard Steele “Literacy is a bridge from misery to hope.” – Kofi Annan “One of the sad realities today is that very few people, especially young people, read books. Unless we can find imaginative ways of addressing this reality, future generations are in danger of losing their history.” Nelson Mandela “Each one, teach one” – African proverb NEW EBOOKS AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD ZaBusiswa – Stories of Courage! BUSISIWE – Let blessings come to life! SiBusisiwe – And we grow (Poetry booklet) As a teacher I saw the invaluable lessons learnt through reading. I got to see first-hand what the impact it had on the brain, especially the function of memory. I was fascinated by seeing the learners developing further by reading, more so by reading what they like. Reading nourishes our souls, stimulates the intellect and invokes critical thinking. The more we read stories that others write the more we reflect on our own lives. When we become more curious and provoke questions like ‘Who am I?’ We are lifelong learners. Interestingly, I have drawn wisdom from the books and stories that I read and learnt in my childhood. I began applying those lessons in my professional life. Stories die when we let it happen. Let us inspire authors to write in indigenous languages. Know your language. It is very important to remember where you come from and what is important to you. Yvonne Busisiwe Kgame For the black women writers who dared to write the words that had to be written: Bessie Head, Lauretta Ngcobo, Fatima Meer, Miriam Tlali. We never stop reading them. Born in the 1930’s (or late 1920’s: Fatima Meer), they gave us thoughts, opinions, writings, books by black women pic.twitter.com/RWm70zHAvt— cheryl roberts (@cherylroberts00) August 17, 2020 Read the promotional flier for this remarkable book. Click here » Share on Social Leave a Reply Cancel ReplyYour email address will not be published.CommentName* Email* Website Δ