Get ‘Gau-Trained’ by Flow at ArtEC

A former Port Elizabeth poet will be launching her new collection in her old home town this weekend at ArtEC in Bird Street.

Author, performer, publisher and “artpreneur” Selome Payne, better known by her pseudonym Flow Wellington, will present Gau-Trained, at 1pm on Saturday at the art gallery.

Her artistic journey began in her hometown Port Elizabeth, where she flourished as a poet and stage performer.

Since moving to Johannesburg in 2011, she established her publishing company Poetree Publications and has helped authors here and abroad publish their original poetry, children’s literature and autobiography.

Flow is known for her narrative poetry, taking the reader or listener on an introspective path while depicting stories of people and places in a melodic manner.

Over the years, she has paired her poetry with various music forms including hip hop, jazz and classical.

She began writing in 1996 and has since been published locally and internationally through a number of media. Flow also curated the Eastern Cape Book Festival in 2014 and 2015.
In Gau-Trained, Flow hopes to take readers on a relatively unexplored journey through the underbelly of the fabled City of Gold.

The book puts a spotlight on what most migrants (and immigrants)

experience when relocating to Johannesburg, and highlights the grit and glitz that accompanies such a move.

This is her retrospective look at the past seven years, touching on personal and observed experiences.

More importantly, the book looks at what it takes for women to survive the big city, candidly exposing abuse, xenophobia, loss, family, racism and more.

“I wasn’t warned or given any tips of survival before I came to Jozi,” Flow says.

“This place is not exactly all that the glamorous advertisements would want you to believe, especially when you don’t have a solid plan or support structure.”

Books will be on sale at R120 each. More information and bookings can be made via e-mail: poetflow@live.com.