SKOLION AUTHORS

Toby Bennett lives and works in Cape Town, he’s a UCT philosophy graduate and has had the privilege of having his work accepted in several publications including the Lovecraft ezine, Omenana, Suspended in Dusk, Short Story Day Africa’s Terra Incognita, Fox and Spirit’s African Monsters,  and Below the Stairs: Tales from the Cellar. He was one of the winners of the Transnational Arts Production Science Fiction short story competition in 2017. His novel The Music Box was the Silver prize winner for the Sanlam Youth Literature Award in 2019. He’s currently working on longer-form genre fiction, including a five-novel collaboration with Nerine Dorman… watch this space! His books can be found on Amazon or through his website Dragon Tower Welcome

Nerine Dorman is a South African author and editor of science fiction and fantasy currently living in Cape Town, with short fiction published in numerous anthologies. Her novel Sing down the Stars won Gold for the Sanlam Prize for Youth Literature in 2019 and The Percy Fitzpatrick Award for Children's and Youth Literature in 2021. Her YA fantasy novella, Dragon Forged, was a finalist in the Sanlam Prize for Youth Literature in 2017, and she is the curator of the South African Horrorfest Bloody Parchment event and short story competition. Her short story “On the Other Side of the Sea” (Omenana, 2017) was shortlisted for a 2018 Nommo award. Her novella The Firebird won a Nommo for “Best Novella” in 2019. In addition, she is a founding member of the SFF authors’ co-operative Skolion.

Yolandie Horak can often be found typing away at the computer or nibbling at the end of a paintbrush. When not writing or making art, she spends her time cuddling her daughter and husband, reading, fangirling, or gaming. She resides in Calgary, Canada, where the mountains are always calling. She’s a steampunk enthusiast and writes gaslamp fantasy with political and medical flavours. Her books appeal to lovers of grim tales with loads of intrigue and drama. She has been a passionate blogger since the dawn of time and updates her blog weekly with art tutorials, her thoughts on writing, book reviews and experiences as an immigrant. Sign up for her newsletter.

Laurie Janey is a writer, proofreader and very casual illustrator. She has an MA in Creative Writing from the University of Cape Town, and lives in London with her partner and their rowdy toddler. Her first novel, The Crossing, was published in 2022. Buy her book here. 

Climber, tattoo collector, and peanut-butter connoisseur, Xan van Rooyen is an autistic, non-binary storyteller from South Africa, currently living in Finland, where the heavy metal is soothing and the cold, dark forests inspiring. Xan has a master’s degree in music, and – when not teaching – enjoys conjuring strange worlds and creating quirky characters. You can find Xan’s stories in the likes of Three-Lobed Burning Eye, Daily Science Fiction, and Galaxy’s Edge among others. They have also written several novels including YA fantasy My Name is Magic, and adult arcanopunk novel Silver Helix. Xan is also part of the Sauutiverse, an African writer’s collective. Feel free to say hi on socials @xan_writer.

Icy Sedgwick is a folklore researcher and the host of the Fabulous Folklore podcast. A writer of dark fantasy and gothic horror, she has been described as a cross between Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett. She's also working on a PhD about haunted house films, so expect ghosts in her work!

Masha du Toit writes fantasy and science fiction, set in alternate-world South Africa. She trained as a visual artist, majoring in sculpture, and went on to study bronze casting. After many years' teaching the creative use of digital technology, she finally focused on her true passion: writing her own stories. She's inspired by all kinds of magic, from the worlds of Hayao Miyazaki, Ursula Le Guin and CJ Cherryh, to those of James Herriot and Gerald Durrell.