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Thérèse Bartman and Fourie Botha discuss their poetry collections Die helfte is jou nie vertel nie and Kolam. In her collection, Bartman explores the power and limits of the written word, returning to the rich oral traditions of poetry to give voice to overlooked stories and experiences. Botha’s Kolam weaves together diverse themes into a complex, interdependent pattern of observation, memory, and loss. Their conversation explores how poets shape meaning from experience and how poetry can create new patterns of understanding and beauty.

Thérèse Bartman made her debut as a poet in Nuwe Stemme 3 (2005). Some of her poems have been included in anthologies, including Groot Verseboek. Thérèse Hulme wrote several children’s books, as well as My Word, Ideas for Creating a Writing Culture in the Classroom (2022). She is a narrative therapist and mentor to teachers and people who work with children, and holds the degree DTh in Practical Theology with Specialisation in Pastoral Therapy.

Fourie Botha is a poet, editor, and editorial consultant who works in both English and Afrikaans. He spent more than twenty years in the publishing industry and served for nine years as the local fiction publisher at Penguin Random House South Africa in Cape Town. He has worked with many award-winning writers and remains actively involved in the literary world. Botha is also the author of several poetry collections, including Kolam.