Komani-born author Lulamile Satyo, 54, has published his second anthology of poems following good response to his first book, Imibongo kaSatyo, published in 2017.
Satyo, who usually writes in his mother tongue isiXhosa, is now focusing on a new audience of English readers as his book Deep Thoughts hit the shelves this week.
The father of two from Whittlesea, who now works as a teacher in Cape Town, said his colleagues were interested in his isiXhosa book but could not read the language.
“They begged me to write in a language they would understand, hence I wrote this book,” Satyo said.
“I was never interested in writing in English as my focus was on isiXhosa poems.”
Satyo said he started to write the book in 2014, when he wrote only four poems, but when he was approached in 2017 he decided to continue writing and completed it.
“The poems are educational, informing, advising, warning and entertaining,” he said.
“This book is the right book for any situation you find yourself in.
“When you are feeling down, there are spiritual and emotional poems that will help you.”
Satyo said poems such as That Teenager, Get Out and To Die Empty advise people on the challenges they face in life.
“They offer advice on how to deal with teenagers, how to get out of an abusive relationship and how to get exposure and use your talent,” he said.
While still a student in Masibulele College in Whittlesea, his poems were published in the college magazine, and in the early 1990s his poems were published in popular isiXhosa books, Aweselwa 1, four in Aweselwa 2, and three in Nambitha isihobe books.
Satyo has encouraged young people who have a talent for writing to send him their books to edit and proofread for free.