An author from the Cape Flats is inviting young creatives to join him in creating locally inspired stories and books.
Teacher Kyle Jantjies, who has written several fantasy novels, is passionate about introducing young people to reading in different ways.
He has published 13 books and in June he hosted a competition, encouraging young people to read as well as stand a chance to feature as characters in his next adventure novel.
“The need for encouraging reading became apparent when most of the responses I received were from kids mentioning how uncomfortable they were with the idea of reading and sharing it on a public platform,” Kyle explained.
“They were willing to do other challenges but not read.”
He opted to offer the opportunity to members of the book club he founded at Mount View High School as a reward for their commitment to reading.
This past Saturday, five learners joined him for a visit to the iconic Cape Point National Park reserve for an adventurous day out and to help dream up a new short story.
The laaities will feature as characters in the story based on the day’s experiences.
The learners’ imaginations were sparked by the natural beauty and they even went for a swim in the crystal clear tidal pools, only to be drawn out of the water by curious baboons rummaging through their clothes searching for kos!
After a stand-off to protect their muffins and coffee, the group set off to the historic lighthousewww.kylejantjiesauthor.com.
Kyle is currently working on a new book series and plans to complete this story by mid-2024.
He is now inviting young people with a talent for drawing, particularly animation, to contact him to bring the characters to life.
“I’m from the Cape Flats and it is such a privilege to inspire young people from my upbringing by giving them such an unusual opportunity to be a story book character and to explore their creativity,” Kyle added.
For more information visit www.kylejantjiesauthor.com.