Keletso Mopai
Keletso Mopai | |
|---|---|
| Born | 24 August 1992 |
| Alma mater | |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Writing career | |
| Language | English |
| Notable work | If You Keep Digging |
Keletso Mopai is a South African writer.[1] She is the author of the short-story collection If You Keep Digging (2019), published by BlackBird Books, an imprint of Jacana Media.[2] Her work has appeared in international literary journals, including The Kenyon Review and Internazionale.[3] In 2024, she served as a judge for the Commonwealth Short Story Prize (Africa region).[4]
Early life and education
Mopai was raised in Lenyenye, a township in Limpopo, South Africa. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree with majors in geology and chemistry, followed by a Bachelor of Science Honours in geology, both from the University of Limpopo.[5][6] She later completed a Master of Arts degree in creative writing at the University of Cape Town.[7]
Career
Mopai's writing has appeared in South African and international literary publications, including The Johannesburg Review of Books, DRUM, Brittle Paper, The Kalahari Review, and Catapult.[7]
In 2019, she published her debut short-story collection, If You Keep Digging, through Blackbird Books, an imprint of Jacana Media.[8]
Mopai has participated in South African literary festivals and writing programmes and has been interviewed by academic and literary organisations about her work.[9]
She was a writing fellow at the Johannesburg Institute for Advanced Study in 2024.[10] In 2025, she was selected as a writing resident for the Brussels to Karoo residency programme.[11]
Awards and recognition
- In 2026, Publishers Weekly named Mopai one of its Fall 2026 Writers to Watch, recognizing her forthcoming debut novel We Belong to the Trees. The magazine highlighted the novel's examination of the legacy of apartheid in South Africa, particularly its exploration of land dispossession, racial violence, and the enduring social divisions of the post-apartheid era.[12][13]
- Mopai was shortlisted for the Writivism Short Story Prize in 2017 and later took part in the Writivism writing programme.[7]
- Her short story "Monkeys" was shortlisted for the 2019 Brittle Paper Award for Fiction.[14]
- She was also a finalist in the Africa Book Club short story competition.[7]
- In 2020, Mopai was named among the Mail & Guardian 200 Young South Africans.[15]
- She was shortlisted for the Portside Review Human Rights Essay Prize in 2024.[16]
Bibliography
- If You Keep Digging (Blackbird Books, 2019)[17]
- We Belong to the Trees (Seven Stories Press, 2026)
References
- ↑ "Keletso Mopai". Time of the Writer. Retrieved 17 January 2026.
- ↑ "Your 2019 holiday reading list". News24. Retrieved 17 January 2026.
- ↑ "Keletso Mopai – Kenyon Review Author". The Kenyon Review. Retrieved 17 January 2026.
- ↑ "Judges announced for 2024 Commonwealth Short Story Prize". Commonwealth Foundation. Retrieved 17 January 2026.
- ↑ "Keletso Mopai, 27". Mail & Guardian 200 Young South Africans. Retrieved 17 January 2026.
- ↑ "Keletso Mopai Owns Her Story and Her Voice". Open Country Mag. 29 April 2022. Retrieved 17 January 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 "Keletso Mopai". Time of the Writer. University of KwaZulu-Natal. Retrieved 16 January 2026.
- ↑ "If You Keep Digging: A Q&A with Keletso Mopai". News24. Retrieved 16 January 2026.
- ↑ "Authors – Keletso Mopai". Open Book Festival. Retrieved 16 January 2026.
- ↑ "JIAS Fellows". Johannesburg Institute for Advanced Study. Retrieved 17 January 2026.
- ↑ "Participants of the 2025 Brussels to Karoo residency announced". Jakes Gerwel Foundation. Retrieved 17 January 2026.
- ↑ Seidel, Matt (17 July 2026). "Fall 2026 Writers to Watch: Keletso Mopai". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 3 August 2026.
- ↑ "We Belong to the Trees". Seven Stories Press. Retrieved 3 August 2026.
- ↑ "The 2019 Brittle Paper Award for Fiction: Meet the Finalists". Brittle Paper. Retrieved 16 January 2026.
- ↑ "Keletso Mopai". 200 Young South Africans. Mail & Guardian. Retrieved 16 January 2026.
- ↑ "Keletso Mopai Amongst Shortlistees for 2024 Human Rights Essay Prize". JAY Lit. Retrieved 17 January 2026.
- ↑ Mopai, Keletso (2019). If You Keep Digging. Blackbird Books. ISBN 9781776190712.
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