PAGECAST

PAGECAST
  • 4.8 (21)
  • Books
  • Updated weekly

Pagecast is South Africa's biggest book podcast that offers insider interviews with recently published authors, delving into the creative processes and stories behind their latest works. As the leading platform for book lovers, Pagecast brings you the story behind the story, exploring the thoughts, ideas, and emotions that shape the country's most compelling literature.

  1. 1 day ago

    Worth the Fight: Fixing Failure in South African Schools by Jonathan Jansen (with Janet Heard)

    "What does it take to turn a working-class school around?" Distinguished Professor Jonathan Jansen went back to school. Not to lecture, but to teach Grade 10 Physical Science, sit in the principal's office, and help fix a Cape Flats high school that had produced the worst matric results in the Western Cape. Journalist and founder of The Education Desk Janet Heard sits down with him for a searching conversation on his new book Worth the Fight: Fixing Failure in South African Schools, and what two years inside a failing school taught him about the education system, the children caught in it, and what real change actually requires. Jonathan Jansen's new book is Worth the Fight: Fixing Failure in South African Schools. Part memoir, part case study and part call to action, this is essential reading for parents, educators, policy makers and anyone who cares about the future of South Africa's children. Jonathan Jansen is Distinguished Professor of Education at Stellenbosch University. The eldest son of a preacher and a nurse, he grew up on the Cape Flats and was a biology teacher in the Cape before studies abroad and a long career in South African university leadership. Janet Heard is a writer, editor and media leader whose early career was forged during South Africa's transition to democracy. She is the founder of The Education Desk, an independent non-profit newsroom dedicated to in-depth coverage of the country's education system.

    Worth the Fight: Fixing Failure in South African Schools by Jonathan Jansen (with Janet Heard)

  2. 21 Aug

    Summerween by Joss Wood (with Ute Hermanus)

    "Love needs to be fought for." A dancer on a man-free summer. A trauma surgeon working out his PTSD. And two ghosts with a lot of opinions. Ute Hermanus is in conversation with best-selling romance author Joss Wood on Summerween, and the delicious push-and-pull of a friends-to-lovers story where neither party is looking for love. They talk about writing characters who become each other's soft place to land, why every choice in a Joss Wood book comes with a consequence, and why she refuses to write a woman who has to give up her career for a man. Plus: the ghosts, the witches, the BTS references, and why Luna the crap witch kept trying to hijack the book. Joss Wood's new book is Summerween. Professional dancer Wren Callahan's plan for the summer is to sip margaritas by the lake, bask in anonymity, and dodge any drama from her ex. Instead, her meddling godmother Luna — Halloween Town's mayor and resident white witch — ropes her into choreographing a teen performance at the first Summerween festival. Joss Wood is a best-selling romance author. Ute Hermanus is a radio host and presenter at KFM 94.5, and a devoted book lover.

    Summerween by Joss Wood (with Ute Hermanus)

  3. 17 Aug

    Held, Portrait of the Black Family, a memoir by Lulama Mali (with Hlonipha Mokoena)

    "I write from a place of scarring instead of being wounded." Professor Hlonipha Mokoena sits down with writer, cultural worker and music industry professional Lulama Mali for a rich, unhurried conversation on her debut memoir Held: A Portrait of the Black Family. They talk about the choice of memoir as a form, the freedom of writing from memory rather than fact, and Lulama's deliberate use of words like "sacred", "quiet" and "silence" to invite the reader into a particular mood. Hlonipha presses on the word "portrait" in the title, and Lulama unpacks how, growing up as a photographer, she came to think of family as a collage, made up of many hands and many households. The conversation moves through township life, mother's union Thursdays, and the raising of black children in community rather than nuclear isolation. Lulama Mali's debut memoir is Held: A Portrait of the Black Family. At its heart, Held is the story of a girl raised by her grandparents in a house where grief and jazz shared the air, where books and politics coexisted with the daily rhythms of survival, and where abundance was measured not in wealth but in ritual, memory, and care. Lulama Mali is a writer, cultural worker and music industry professional. She is the founder and managing director of Round Square Management and Consultancy, working across artist management, A&R, performance photography, and creative activism. Professor Hlonipha Mokoena is a historian and the Director of the Wits Institute for Social and Economic Research (WISER). She is the author of The Nightwatchman: Representing Black Men in Colonial South Africa (Wits University Press) and Magema Fuze: The Making of a Kholwa Intellectual.

    Held, Portrait of the Black Family, a memoir by Lulama Mali (with Hlonipha Mokoena)

  4. 11 Aug

    The Ego Trip by Kimon de Greef (with Dan Corder)

    "There's patent litigation right now over the God molecule. I just think it's the most absurd thing." What happens when an ethereal, ego-dissolving experience runs headlong into big pharma? Dan Corder chats to journalist Kimon de Greef on The Ego Trip, and the strange final act of the toad story: 5-MeO-DMT quietly becoming one of the smart bets to be the next clinical psychedelic treatment. They talk about why a half-hour trip is so seductive to a market-driven industry, the patent wars already breaking out over the God molecule, and the push to administer it without any accompanying psychotherapy at all. Kimon also makes a plea for the toads themselves, magnificent, grotesque creatures being tossed into buckets, over-milked and left in the sun as the movement they never asked to be part of goes global. Kimon de Greef's new book is The Ego Trip: Psychedelic Toads, a Trail of Deaths, and the Guru Who Peddled Transcendence. Kimon de Greef is one of the most important non-fiction writers working today. His work has appeared in National Geographic, The Guardian, The New Yorker and The New York Times, and his previous book, Poacher, drew wide acclaim. Dan Corder is an award-winning political comedian, news commentator, TV, radio and podcast host. The latest episode of Pagecast is out now!

    The Ego Trip by Kimon de Greef (with Dan Corder)

  5. 3 Aug

    Zama Zama by Graeme Coetzer (with Chris Gibbons)

    "It looked apocalyptic." Veteran journalist Chris Gibbons sits down with journalist, TV producer and best-selling author Graeme Coetzer for a gripping conversation on Zama Zama: Inside the Illicit Mining Underworld. Together they unpack fifteen years of investigation into South Africa's illegal gold economy: from the desperate miners going underground to earn a wage, to the organised crime syndicates making billions off their labour. Graeme describes the astonishing VAT scam that saw stolen gold sold at a premium, the cottage industry of forged invoices and stolen ID books propping it up, and how a single company was accused of laundering an estimated 22 billion rand through the racket. He also revisits the tragedy at Buffelsfontein, where 74 people died underground, and shares the surreal story of one Zama who climbed 1.5 kilometres up an abandoned shaft to save his own life. Graeme Coetzer's new book is Zama Zama: Inside the Illicit Mining Underworld. Graeme Coetzer is a journalist, TV producer and best-selling author whose long-form investigations for Carte Blanche have delved into every layer of South Africa's illicit mining world. Chris Gibbons is a veteran South African journalist and broadcaster.

    Zama Zama by Graeme Coetzer (with Chris Gibbons)

  6. 27 Jul

    Six Days in Bombay by Alka Joshi (with Joanne Joseph)

    "I love this phrase you've used - explain ourselves to ourselves." Joanne Joseph sits down with best-selling author Alka Joshi for a rich, expansive conversation on Six Days in Bombay. Together they unpack why Alka only came to novel writing later in life, the mother whose real story became the seed of The Henna Artist, and the painter Amrita Sher-Gil, "the Frida Kahlo of India", whose bold, uncompromising life inspired the character of Mira. They talk about the responsibility of writing historical fiction with care, the meticulous research behind Alka's immersive worlds, and the layered ways women in her novels travel outward to find their way back to themselves. It's also a wider conversation about heritage, colonisation, and why literature matters as a tool for explaining ourselves to ourselves. Alka Joshi's new book is Six Days in Bombay. Inspired by the life of Amrita Sher-Gil, it follows nurse Sona as she carries a cryptic note and four paintings across a Europe teetering toward war, in search of the truth about the woman who left them in her care, and about herself. Alka Joshi is the best-selling author of The Henna Artist and the Jaipur Trilogy. Her books have been translated into nearly 30 languages. Joanne Joseph is a TV and radio presenter, producer, and writer, and the author of Children of Sugarcane and Drug Muled.

    Six Days in Bombay by Alka Joshi (with Joanne Joseph)

  7. 20 Jul

    The Persian by David McCloskey (with Lester Kiewit)

    What happens when a former CIA analyst turns his hand to fiction? Lester Kiewit chats to David McCloskey about The Persian, a sophisticated, atmospheric thriller that pulls readers deep into the shadow war between Iran and Israel, and the human cost of living a double life. David McCloskey's new book is The Persian. Layered with intrigue, shifting loyalties and geopolitical danger, the novel follows Kamran Esfahani, an Iranian dentist recruited by the Mossad, whose life unravels after a single operation goes terribly wrong. Smart, fast-paced and atmospheric, it's a compelling read for fans of intelligent spy fiction. David McCloskey is a former CIA analyst and best-selling author of intelligent spy fiction. Lester Kiewit is the host of the CapeTalk Breakfast show.

    The Persian by David McCloskey (with Lester Kiewit)

  8. 13 Jul

    A Food Love Story by Onezwa Mbola (with Star Senamile Shongwe)

    In this episode of Pagecast, food enthusiast, recipe creator, and social media sensation Onezwa Mbola joins storyteller and marketing professional Star Senamile Shongwe for a warm conversation about her debut book, A Food Love Story. Onezwa traces her culinary journey from her mother's kitchen in a rural Eastern Cape seaside village, through destinations around the world, and back home again - a story about how food connects us to the people and places we love most. As a mother, she shares that love with her son and with the million-plus followers who have made her one of South Africa's most beloved voices in home cooking. A Food Love Story is filled with wholesome recipes and the kind of warmth that makes you want to head straight to the kitchen. A Food Love Story is out now and available at all good bookstores.

    A Food Love Story by Onezwa Mbola (with Star Senamile Shongwe)
See All (150)

4.8
out of 5
21 Ratings

About

Pagecast is South Africa's biggest book podcast that offers insider interviews with recently published authors, delving into the creative processes and stories behind their latest works. As the leading platform for book lovers, Pagecast brings you the story behind the story, exploring the thoughts, ideas, and emotions that shape the country's most compelling literature.

Information

  • Creator
    PAGECAST
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    150
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © PAGECAST
  • Show Website
    PAGECAST

You Might Also Like