Writers aren’t people exactly. Or, if they’re any good, they’re a whole lot of people trying so hard to be one person. ~F. Scott Fitzgerald
Ladies and gentlemen, I unashamedly concur with Scotty where the eight contributors of Epigraph – My Heart Is My Alibi are concerned. Today I publicly admit that at times it felt as if it were three of each writer I was dealing with. They are a legion of Biblical proportions. Sigh, pray for me and my sanity. However, should you be Thomas and need proof in this regard, this blog will have you agreeing with me.
Irrespective, I love what they think and write. I think beauty gets her courage from the ink that flows from these souls.
I secretly hope that one day when history speaks about the African rhetoric, whether Johannesburg is included or excluded, he would pause for a moment and mention their names with glee and pride pointing to this point – #Epigraph.
More information on the book will unfold with coming dawns.
Without further delay, here are today’s two contributors…
1. Mbali Mavundla
Who is YOU?
Mbali Mavundla is a young woman who grew up wanting to be a painter but somehow ended up writing poems. She spilled the paint, grabbed a pen and found herself lost in words. Diving in black ink has never been so beautiful.
How old are you?
I am 21 years old and somehow getting younger.
When did the writing begin?
I started writing when I was fourteen years old. It was still oh so innocent then but so much has changed since. Life has happened in more ways than one.
When you are not writing what do you do?
I keep a lot of audio books. I flood myself with other peoples’ thoughts and learn what life has not yet taught me. I once tried to take guitar lessons, and broke my French manicure. Now I listen to others play. Guitar strings have a way of catching me like fishnets.
What are your superpowers?
When I open my mouth I make people cry. Tears are magic, and I will never know whether it;’s good or bad. I make them listen, smile. Sometimes they laugh, with me or at me.
Your grand plan to take over the world is?
The moral re-generation of young people. I want to teach everyone that knowledge does not by any chance fall from the sky. READ! If each and every one of us reads something, anything, the world alone would be a better place. I want to teach people how to read poems. I want the world to remember me to have said words they wouldn’t normally have said or heard on any given day. I aspire to be quoted as much as Shakespeare, to be a renowned writer and have one of my works studied in schools some day.
Who or what inspires you?
“Brown boys” inspire me. I heard someone say once, “coffee-coloured gentlemen”, and I knew exactly what that meant. Being born with two boys before me, I learnt what it meant to be loved by a man should be like. I saw them break their backs just to keep me safe (and they say their backs are not broken). The love they gave me at home keeps me grounded and inspired to go out there and do better than most. It is all that has ever made sense to me.
Any random thing you want to tell us?
I don’t like girls.
Your favorite writer(s)
Chinua Achibe, Andrea Gibson and Shane Koyczan.
Favorite Book(s)
State of Emergency and Lord Of The Flies.
How do you translate your passion?
I think you have to be so lost in something so deep that you want to tell a story about it so bad – write about it, tell someone about it or scream it out somehow, but it just has to come out. For me, it’s pain, loss, grief and everything in between that persuades me. I write when I hurt.
What kind of books do you want to read?
I’m a hopeless romantic, so, I want to read about love – finding love, losing love, chasing love, loving love… but I hate happy endings.
Do you believe in the power of Oros?
Same way I believe in mermaids.
Are you already fulfilling your life’s purpose, and what is it?
Where can we find you in social networks?
Facebook : Mbali Mavundla
Twitter : @FabianiRose
2. Joy Bongani Mathebula
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| New Color Photography |
Who is YOU?
My name is Joy Bongani Mathebula. I grew in the quiet and beautiful streets of Ekangala. I am a thinker, a strategist, a lover of beauty, a guitarist, a businessman and a family man.
How old are you?
I am 10032 days old.
When did the writing begin?
I was in Grade 9 I think, year 2000.
When you are not writing, what do you do?
I spend most of my time thinking. I bribed some people when I was young to tell me I was smart and that I have a beautiful mind, so, that has stayed with me. I live in the mind, so when I am not writing I am thinking and then some time is spent regretting that I didn’t write those thoughts down.
What are your superpowers?
I have the ability to make people laugh even in times when laughter is not welcomed. And sometimes, when I choose to, I make people think; those that have spent countless hours studying my life say I see life from a very unique angle.
Your grand plan to take over the world is…?
Hahaahahaa!! You want to steal it, you idiotic idiot.
Who/what inspires you?
Excellence. I can’t ignore excellence; anything or person that goes and turns mere mediocrity to excellence. I have so many people on my list, from Leornardo Da Vinci all the way to Homer Simpson. I can’t ignore excellence.
Any random thing you want to tell us?
I am in love with a mzalwaneeeee (R Kelly’s voice).
And yes, I love cars, by cars I mean BMW.
Favourite writer/s?
Ravi Zacharias, Siphokazi Cebekhulu, Roald Dahl and St Paul.
Favourite book/s?
The book of Hebrews, The Lotus and the Cross, The Google Story. They are too many to mention.
How do you translate your passion?
Passion fruit, Sminoff Ice… It’s the same thing really; they all take you to hell.
What kind of books do you want to read?
Biographies. I love analysing each person’s patterns, their rise to greatness and mistakes, and just mirror those with my current steps. I am a student at heart.
Where can we find you on social networks?
Facebook: Joy Bongani Mathebula
Twitter: @joymathebula
Do you believe in the power of Oros?
Tragic story, really. He was so young.
Are you already fulfilling your life’s purpose, and what is it?
I am still in pursuit. I have set foot on some parts of the portion of the farm marked for me, but there is more to discover. The more you think you have found it, the more you become aware of other terrains. So, I am still discovering.
Thank you for taking the time to meet the first two of these eight amazicians and for sharing this blog and helping us make #Epigraph the talk of the town.
Love,
MMM
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