Brian Walter

Brian Walter taught literature at the University of Fort Hare for 19 years. He later worked in educational and community development projects, mostly in the Eastern Cape. He currently works with a writing group in Helenvale, a troubled area in Port Elizabeth, where he mentors the Helenvale Poets. He also works with the informal Ecca group of poets. He holds a doctorate from Rhodes University that focussed on Sol Plaatjie’s use of the romance mode. Walter has published several collections of poetry including his debut, Tracks and Baakens (2000) and Mousebird (2008). His other books include Groundwork: An Introduction to Reading and Writing about Poetry (Macmillan), compiled with Felicity Wood. He was awarded the 1999 Thomas Pringle Award for poetry published in journals, as well as the 2000 Ingrid Jonker Prize for Tracks.