so, who am i?
Meet this bubbly, dream-chasing writer from Southern Africa.
I knew I would be a writer from the ripe age of 7, when my school librarian secretly allowed me to read the “big kid” books after speedily completing the beginner’s section. When I’d burnt through those a few years later, my older brother would sneak home “Hardy Boys” and Stephen King novels from his high school library, and my father would buy me that day’s newspaper on our way to school each morning, all of which I ravenously devoured nearly every day of my childhood.
The undoubtedly ridiculous image of this young school girl in her freshly-ironed oversized uniform, reading the newspaper on the ride to school each morning, clearly showed one thing: I was obsessed with words. I couldn’t wait to be a part of this secret society of titans, who could bend words to their will and birth whole universes with their incredible writing.
So this is me, living my childhood dream. Not waiting until a hallowed book deal arrives to birth my universe, but gently building one up from scratch in the meantime, here, on my humble blog.
Happy Reading.
Valerie Jairosi
what i write.
Although my first love will always be poetry, I also dabble in songwriting and short story creative writing, as I work my way up to being a fully fledged author. Having started writing at 7 years old and performing original songs from the age of 12, I ventured into poetry as an adolescent in 2014 while studying at the University of Cape Town (UCT). I wrote poetry primarily for the purpose of spoken word, including a poem honoring the nation of Namibia at a Namibian Embassy event in South Africa. I have also worked with children for nearly a decade, with some of my experience involving teaching poetry for the Summer School program at James Monroe Elementary School in South Bend, Indiana. I’m beyond excited to grow my content, and to have your support as I do so is an added bonus!
what i do.
In addition to writing, I am also a host, published poet, and professional spoken word performer, having performed on multiple stages in South Africa (including UCT), and more recently the United States, over the past 9 years. I’ve planned and hosted a few open mics in Cape Town, South Africa and spoken at a writer’s workshop. If you would like me to read at your event (or you know of any interesting poetry events in your area), please feel free to reach out!
follow my journey.
