Farewell and tribute to Anne Schuster

 

 

Anne Schuster is moving to Kleinmond, from where she will run writing retreats and a scaled-down writing workshop programme. This event, organised by the women who are members of her monthly writing groups, honoured her contribution to many, many writers.

‘In writing with others, without pretension, without competition and without trying to impress, there is an extraordinary connection of creative energies.’ ~ Anne Schuster

Farewell to Anne Schuster

Christine Coates and Maire Fisher

With thanks to BOOK SA,  Bridgett Whyte, Christine Coates and Maire Fisher for the pics and to Daniel Fisher for the music.

There are so many lovely photos that won’t fit here, that rather than making lots of small collages of small pictures, I’ve put them together into two movies with two songs as backing tracks. The music is slightly jumpy, but I couldn’t make files that were too big, so please forgive this. You’ll find the links  below.

On Wednesday 20 October, 2010 Ann Donald generously opened the doors of Kalk Bay Books to the Monthlies, and we gathered to pay tribute to Anne Schuster, a remarkable woman, a gifted writer and writing teacher who has worked with women’s groups in Cape Town for more than a decade.

Preparations started well before 20.10.2010. Ilze Olkers, another exceptional facilitator, consulted with members of the group and so a fine plan was hatched. Each Monthly would write a tribute to Anne, on a postcard. These would, if possible, include words from ‘Writing is Learning to Die’, a poem written by Anne in her novel, Foolish Delusions:

Writing is Learning to Die
Anne Schuster

I lie on the inside of the night
at the edge of the wound
scratching the dark with my eyelids
ready to write the story
which I cannot bear to remember

What is it that makes one dare?

I write as if the secret that is in me
were before me
galloping ahead of me and beyond –
a night-ride to the very edge of the world
where all the dragons live

What is it that makes one dare?

I let go into a moment of nothing
allow a force that I am not
recount my story to me
allow it’s breath to enter me
inspire me – and

I hear writing write.

The postcards were then given to Christine Coates, story-teller, poet and book-maker extraordinaire. She became, in her own words ‘totally absorbed and compulsively obsessed’ as she created A Renga Book for Anne to Read and Play with at Leisure, made of recycled watercolour paintings, layered and folded into an accordion book with pages, envelopes, packets of surprises.

It’s impossible to describe how beautiful the book is; hopefully the photographs will help to show what an inspired creation it is.

Cynthia Mac Pherson kindly arrived early to fill vases with an abundance of proteas and bougainvillea and Cathwrynn, the lovely and willing assistant at KBB helped us to clear the decks for the evening.

As Anne and Annemarie arrived they were sung to their seat by Daniel Fisher (Maire Fisher’s son).

Shaida Ali, newly published author of Not a Fairy Tale, then welcomed everyone in fine sparkling style:

Anne, if at this moment, you’re feeling overwhelmed, take three conscious breaths.  Hand on your heart for extra credit.

Thank you to Kalk Bay Books for the use of this fine venue. To the Mighty Monthlies who have participated in this mostly surprise, thank you.

Anne, your writing workshops have brought us much light, laughter and love. You’ve taught us that with stubs of pencils or fancy pens, we can open up cans of worms, free jinn from bottles, break locks on closets where bones were turning brittle. You’ve shown – without telling – that our non-dominant hands hold golden keys to secret words. Your workshops have been magical journeys. They’ve been gifts. So tonight it’s our turn to provide you with a gift or two or three.

Here’s the first. After long hours of deliberation the judges have agreed that you’re the most deserving recipient of: The Sparkly Chocolate Cupcake Award for Most Fabulous Writing Teacher and here to present it is my lovely blonde associate, Ms Wordsmith herself, Nella Freund.

The next award is another mouthful. It’s the Sparkly Chocolate Cupcake Award For Best Cloak and Dagger Mostly Surprise Farewell Party Assistant Planner. And it goes to Annemarie. Thank you Nella.

We are here, Anne, to rejoice in your move to Kleinmond. And we’re delighted that you’re not abandoning us: We love our new roles as Quarterlies. Thank you, Anne.

Christine, one of the original Monthlies, took us back to the first workshops, recalling the events that happened along the way. She presented Anne with her Renga Book, and as a true devotee, proceeded to show not tell her how it worked (as well as all the tributes from the Monthlies, Anne has been set games and writing exercises which involve pink and green slips …).

Christine said that the book represents the texture and richness of Anne’s influence on the writing and lives of many women.

The idea taken from a Japanese poetry form made by many

Maire introduced Daniel’s next song, and explained that both songs, ‘That’s All’ and ‘You were Always on my Mind’ had been chosen specifically:

When we started writing with Anne something new came into our lives. Not quite human, somewhat otherworldly, drawn from our depths, floating in the air around us.  Shape-shifting, elusive, at times shy, at other times demanding, once this Protean creature moved in, she was here to stay. We’d find her wallowing in our bath, eavesdropping in restaurants, trying on the clothes in our wardrobe, watching our neighbours and prodding us to find out where they’d been.

Some of the monthlies treated her like a beloved friend, like visiting royalty even, communicating with her daily, helping her with her chores, seeing what she’d like to eat and  drink.  Often they’d travel many, many miles, through strange and unexplored terrain, guided by instinct and discipline, to provide her with exactly what she needed to flourish. For these monthlies, her shadowy form became solid and robust.

Sadly … other monthlies neglected her terribly, and she languished, patiently hoping for a morsel here, a crumb there, a small change of scenery, or simply a thin sliver of sunlight.

With deep gratitude we thank Anne for fostering this complex, complicated, frustrating, rewarding and exciting relationship.

We dedicate both of the songs tonight to that abundantly generous, ever-giving and ever-forgiving creature, Our Writing.

Ilze then invited the monthlies to share in an open-mic session, to read the poems they had written for Anne, or to say something to her.  A stream of Monthlies shared their words, including poems from the mezzanine balcony by Sue Bust and Brigitte Murphy …

Time for the grand finale: the presentation of two Dutch bicycles specially chosen for Anne and Annemarie’s forthcoming move to Kleinmond. As Mish Damstra and Shaida wheeled out the bikes which Mish had garlanded  with flowers and festooned with flags, the Monthlies joined in a ragged but rousing rendition of ‘Annie, Annie, here is a bike for you’ (Maire’s version of ‘Daisy Daisy’):

Annie, Annie, here is a bike for you
Specially bought for the grand Klienmond debut
We hope it brings years of pleasure
As you enjoy your leisure
May you feel swell as you ring your bell
On the bike that we chose for you.

Dearest Annemarie, we also got one for you
Specially bought to give you the thanks you’re due
Our thoughts on this were not random
In fact they rode in tandem
Cos you’ll both look sweet
Upon the seats
Of the bikes that we bought for two!

(The bicycle, the bicycle surely, should always be

the vehicle of novelists and poets. ~ Christopher Morley)

 

 

Bikes that we bought for two!

Ilze then ended by asking us to think about the web that connects us all, that allows us to be where we are, who we are. We sat in silence as she chimed her Tibetan bells 12 times. One chime for each of the years the Monthlies have been writing together.

Cupcakes for all – Shaida and Mish handing out the sparkly stuff

Anne Schuster’s contribution to South African women writers

… A woman sits down to write. She sits down at the grey trestle table in the familiar room surrounded by other writing women. She notes the beautiful seriousness on all their faces – varied in age and occupation, committed to writing. She has left behind the dust, the dirt, the sticky pots and pans, the soiled linen. She feels the warmth that starts in her belly and slowly spreads throughout her body, and knows that it is time. She writes as they write, the women around her. They have carved out this little chunk of time. They feel, for these cherished moments, their real selves. She knows that, if she is blessed, she will carry the feeling off, out and home, like a secret rhythm …

~ an excerpt from A woman sits down to write published in 2003 by Women’s Writing Workshops.

Among the publications Anne has been responsible for are:

Kilimanjaro on my Lap a collection of poetry by Epiphanie Mukasano, 2010.
Writing the Self: An anthology of new writing from Women’s Writing Workshops, 2008.
Living on the Fence: Poems by women who are refugees from various countries in Africa, 2007.
Women Flashing: A collection of flash fiction from Women’s Writing Workshops, 2006.
Journey to Myself: writings by women from prison in South Africa.  A collection of writing from a series of workshops with women in Pollsmoor Prison, 2004.
A woman sits down to write: Orts and Fragments from Women’s Writing Workshops, 2003.
In My Life: Youth stories and poems about HIV and AIDS.  A collection of writing from a series of workshops with youth from different communities in the Western Cape, 2003.
Remember Me? Stories from women who work on farms, a collection of stories and poems from a workshop designed and facilitated for Women on Farms Project, 2002.
Nelspoort ons lief en leed, a collection of writing from a workshop with 16 women from Nelspoort, for the Southern Cape Land Committee, 2001.  Book launched 2002.
Women Recall, a collection of women’s life stories produced from workshops co-facilitated (with Annemarie Hendrikz) for the Southern Cape Land Committee, 2000.
Piecing together the Past, a collection of writing from a workshop held at the District Six Museum, August 2000.

My greatest satisfaction when I look back at my work over the last 12 years is to know that I enabled this “community of women writers” (as Ingrid de Kok once described it). ~ Anne Schuster

Some members, past and present of Anne’s groups are:

Anne Woodborne (with Basil Appollis), Silence of the Music, premiered at the Baxter Theatre, September, 2010.
Beth Hunt, Hermanus (Penstock Publishing, Hemel en See Boeke/Books).
Christine Coates (with Stephen Malherbe), Living with my X, (Random House/Struik).
Colleen Higgs, halfborn woman (Hands-On Books), founder of Modjaji Books.
Consuelo Roland, The Good Cemetery Guide (Double Storey Books), short-listed for Sunday Times Fiction Prize; Honorable Mention Olive Schreiner Prize for Prose.
Gail Gilbride Bohle, The Web of Silence (Online at Crink).
Epiphanie Mukasano, Kilimanjaro on my Lap (Dakini).
Helen Douglas, Love and Arms: On violence and justification after Levinas (Trivium Publications).
Hester van der Walt, Hester se Brood (Modjaji Books).
Jean, Behind the Curtain: Jean’s Journey to Sobriety (Human and Rousseau), long-listed for the Alan Paton Award for non-fiction.
Joanne Fedler, When Hungry, Eat; Things Without A Name; Secret Mother’s Business; The Dreamcloth (Jacana and Allen and Unwin).
Joanne Hichens (with Mike Nichols), Out to Score (Random House / Struik); (Ed) Bad Company (Macmillan); (Ed) The Bed Book of Short Stories (Modjaji Books).
Karen Brooks, Emily and the Battle of the Veil and Emily and the Sprites of Light (Self published).
Karen Cochlovius, Desert Varnish (Kwela).
Karin Schimke and Margie Orford, Fabulously 40 and Beyond - Women Coming Into Their Own (Spearhead Press).
Kiki Theo, Money Well, Money Alchemy, Wealth Journey (Penguin).
Lynne Carneson McGregor, Red in the Rainbow (Random House / Struik).
Margaret Legum, Learning to saunter (Kalk and Cheese Press).
Margie Orford, Daddy’s Girl and subsequent Clare Hart thrillers (Jonathan Ball)
Mary Monaghan, Remember Me; Who Do You Belong To? (Self published).
Melissa Steyn and Mikki van Zyl, (Eds), The Prize & The Price: Shaping Sexualities in South Africa (HSRC Press).
Pregs Govender, Love and Courage: A Story of Insubordination (Jacana), long-listed for the Alan Paton Award for non-fiction.
Rahla Xenopoulos, A Memoir of Love and Madness: Living with bipolar disorder (Zebra).
Ruth Carneson, finalist for Penguin Prize for African Writing.
Shaida Ali, Not a Fairy Tale (Random House / Struik).
Tracy Farren, Whiplash (Modjaji), short-listed for the Sunday Times Fiction Prize.
Willemien De Villiers, Kitchen Casualties; Angel in the Tree House (Jacana).

And to prove that Anne walks the walk:
Anne Schuster, Foolish Delusions (Jacana), translated into German and published by Kalliope.

Many monthlies have been published in poetry collections, literary journals and short story anthologies and have won writing competitions. Among them are:

Anne Woodborne, Avis MacIntyre, Beth Hunt, Chantal Stewart, Christine Coates, Colleen Higgs, Consuelo Roland, Epiphanie Mukasano, Erika Coetzee, Helen Douglas, Irene Zeelie, Joanne Fedler, Joanne Hichens ,Karin Schimke, Loubna Freih, Maire Fisher, Margie Orford, Mish Damstra, Nella Freund, Rahla Xenopoulos, Susan Ziehl, Tanya Chan-Sam, Tracey Farren, Wilhelmien de Villers and  – of course – Anne Schuster herself.

If names have been omitted from both of these lists, please forgive us. The intention was not to exclude anyone, but rather to show, with the information we had available (mainly from the Monthlies Blog ) how many women have been inspired by Anne as a writing teacher.  If you know of others who should be added to this list, please let me know and I’ll add them immediately.

When discussing her workshops, Anne had this to say:

I’m often amazed that people don’t realise or recognise the power of women’s creative spaces.  They think the fact that I make it a women’s only space is just an odd quirk of mine, and the fact that The Monthlies has grown from a handful of women when I started Women’s Writing Workshops in 1999 to the splendid number of 100-plus women at the last workshop, is some strange, unexplained phenomenon.

‘Strange, unexplained’ … and also highly creative and productive!

Thank you, Anne!