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Love books?
Glenwood is the place to be this Heritage Weekend.
The Glenwood Book Fair returns from 24 to 27 September 2026, bringing almost 60 literary and creative voices to four venues around the Durban suburb.
The not-for-profit community event is organised by MYGLENWOOD, the Durban Book Club, Micromega Publishing, Fair Trade Events, and Glenwood Urban Improvement Precinct.
The fair celebrates Durban’s status as a UNESCO City of Literature, encourages reading and writing, and promotes local publishing, particularly in indigenous languages.
And the best part? Every literary session is free.
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Four days, four venues
- The Glenwood Book Fair kicks off on Thursday, 24 September, with a programme aimed at children and young people at Umbilo Library at Bulwer Park. Look forward to hearing from children's authors, with some storytelling, music and dance thrown in. The opening day is presented in partnership with the Umbilo Library and Glenwood Urban Improvement Precinct.
- On Friday, 25 September, the fair moves to the Mazisi Kunene Museum, where the programme focuses on the life and work of South Africa's first poet laureate, as well as the importance of indigenous languages.
- The afternoon then moves to the KZNSA Gallery, where art and literature come together through discussions exploring the relationship between visual art and storytelling. The programme also includes The Durban Voice, bringing best-selling local authors together for a conversation about the city's literary landscape.
- The weekend programme takes place at the Phansi Museum, where visitors can hear from authors across a broad range of genres and disciplines, from novelists and poets to historians and sociologists.
- This is also a chance to explore Paul Mikula's remarkable collection at the museum, with conversations facilitated by some of Durban's best-known citizens. A craft market will also run at the Phansi Museum from 9am to 5pm on Saturday and Sunday.
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Meet comic book creator Luke Molver
The fair isn't just about traditional books. Durban-based writer, artist and comic book creator Luke Molver will join the programme on Friday at the KZNSA Gallery for The Artist's Voice panel.
Molver studied Fine Art and Graphic Design and has spent more than two decades creating and self-publishing comics across genres. His work includes the South African cyberpunk series Nero and horror-western Sunday's Slave, while his award-winning historical graphic novel Shaka Rising, and its sequel King Shaka, explore the life and legacy of the Zulu king.
Molver has previously spoken about the power of comics as a storytelling medium and their potential to make history and education accessible to wider audiences. He has also described comics as a particularly powerful way of combining storytelling and visual communication.
His appearance at The Artist's Voice panel will explore the craft and industry of local creativity alongside other artists and writers.
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A weekend for Durban's literary community
The Glenwood Book Fair brings more established names and emerging voices, with the programme spanning fiction, poetry, history, sociology, visual art, indigenous-language writing and more.
Saturday's programme includes sessions such as New Voices, Being South African, The Inner Voice and A Sense of Space.
Sunday features further conversations with emerging writers, authors and specialists, including Uncomfortable Truths, The Speculative Voice and a discussion on Durban's book clubs.
The fair's featured writer this year is Zimbabwean author Sue Nyathi, while the programme includes a wide range of local literary voices.
What you need to know
- What: Glenwood Book Fair 2026
- Date: Thursday, 24 September to Sunday, 27 September 2026
- Venues: Umbilo Library in Bulwer Park; Mazisi Kunene Museum; KZNSA Gallery; Phansi Museum
- Programme:
- Thursday, 24 September: Umbilo Library at Bulwer Park from 10am
- Friday, 25 September: Mazisi Kunene Museum from 10am; KZNSA Gallery from 2pm
- Saturday, 26 September: Phansi Museum from 9am
- Sunday, 27 September: Phansi Museum from 9am
- Information: Glenwood Book Fair
- Cost: Free
Whether you're a serious bookworm, an aspiring writer, or looking for something different to do over the Heritage Day long weekend, this is a chance to find your next read and meet some of the people writing Durban’s stories.
READ: Sethembiso Zulu is turning KZN’s ancestral stories into a living archive
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