Dryad Press News

Fiercely intimate, this poetry collection explores queer identity, gender-based violence, shame, religion, family and Black women’s embodiment, tracing “burial” as a language of concealment, survival, inheritance, grief, and longing.

We are delighted to share that Zero Summer by Simon van Schalkwyk has been named one of Currency News's best books of 2026 so far, and in exceptional company.

We are honoured, and genuinely humbled, to share that Dryad’s Michèle Betty has been awarded a fully funded fellowship to attend the Turin Book Fair (13–15 May 2026). Our deepest thanks to the fellowship organisers and to the Italian Trade Agency for making this possible.

Three cities. Three evenings. One collection that held the room each time. The Zero Summer book launch tour is now complete, and we find ourselves in that particular kind of aftermath – grateful, a little tired, and still turning over lines from the poems in our heads. We want to...

We are excited to announce the launch dates for Simon van Schalkwyk’s Zero Summer. We will be travelling to Johannesburg, Stellenbosch and Cape Town , so be sure to find a venue that suits.

In a couple days, Dryad heads to Istanbul, Turkey for the 11th Istanbul Publishing Fellowship Programme! To celebrate being awarded the Bronze Package, we are having a sitewide sale.

We’re excited to reveal the gorgeous cover of Zero Summer, the forthcoming poetry collection by Wits academic and poet Simon van Schalkwyk, due for publication in April 2026.

We are deeply grateful to the National Arts Council, the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture, and the Presidency of South Africa for their generous support of Dryad Press...