Groundwork: reading and writing
Rustum Kozain (rustumkozain at g mail dot etc)
Born in 1966, in Paarl, South Africa. Studied for several years at the University of Cape Town; spent ten months (1994-1995) in the United States of America on a Fulbright Scholarship. Returned to South Africa and lectured in the Department of English at UCT from 1998 to 2004, teaching in the fields of literature, film, and popular culture.
Poetry published in local and international journals; debut volume, This Carting Life, published in 2005 (Kwela/Snailpress).
Awards:
Joint winner, Nelson Mandela Poetry Prize, 1989 (administered by the University of Cape Town)
Philip Stein Poetry Award, 1997 (for a poem published in New Contrast, 1996)
Second place, Mondi Award for journalism, 1997 (for food columns published in Student Life)
Thomas Pringle Award, 2003 (awarded by the English Academy of Southern Africa for individual poems published in journals in South Africa)
Ingrid Jonker Prize, 2006, for This Carting Life (awarded for debut work)
Olive Schreiner Prize, 2007, for This Carting Life (awarded by the English Academy of Southern Africa for debut work)
Groundwork 