NEW CONTRAST 211, Volume 53

132pp., colour illus., paperback, Cape Town, 2026

New Contrast is a South African literary journal that publishes poetry and prose, art, reviews and interviews from both local and international authors.

This issue is published in memory of writers Diana Ferrus (29 August 1953 - 30 January 2026) and Zoë Wicomb (23 November 1948 - 13 October 2025).

"So many of us in this time have turned to words. Words crafted against the impossible, words written in one’s own voice, words spoken in person, conveyed to others by video and audio, words across time zones, listened to, held onto. This is what we give one another and to all those who feel the steep scale of grief in the face of death. Words to lean our bodies against" Gabeba Baderoon, guest editor

Contributors include Barbara Boswell, Yvette Abrahams, Koleka Putuma, Makhosazana Xaba, Athambile Masola, Bibi Burger, Malika Ndlovu, Mavis Smallberg,   Dorothy Driver, Damon Galgut, Desiree Lewis, Betty Govinden, Carrol Clarkson and Gabeba Baderoon.