Arja Salafranca

Arja Salafranca (b 1971) is a South African writer, poet and journalist.

She was born in Spain, and moved to South Africa when she was five. In 1993 she received a degree in African Literature and Psychology from the University of the Witwatersrand.

She has had fiction, poetry and essays published in a number of anthologies, including "The Finishing Touch", "Like a House on Fire", "LyfSpel/BodyPlay", "The Torn Veil", "In the Rapids", "Post-Traumatic" and "Isis X" as well as in journals such as "Green Dragon", "Botsotso" and "New Contrast" and online at www.litnet.co.za.

Her first poetry collection, "A life stripped of illusions", received the 1994 Sanlam Award for poetry, while a short story, ‘Couple on the Beach’ was a winner of the same award in 1999 for short fiction. Her second collection of poetry, "The fire in which we burn", was published in 2000. An anthology of prose and poetry, "Glass Jars Among Trees", which she co-edited with Alan Finlay, was published by Jacana in 2003. A third poetry collection is due in late 2008.

Salafranca was a participant in the 2004 Online writer’s conference hosted by Litnet, the 2004 Writer’s Conference hosted by the Cape Town-based Centre of the Book and the Poetry Africa 2007 Festival hosted by the University of KwaZulu-Natal. She has worked for various newspapers in Johannesburg and now edits the Sunday Life supplement in the Johannesburg-based national "The Sunday Independent".

Bibliography

* Poetry
**"A Life Stripped of Illusions" (1994)
**"The fire in which we burn" Dye Hard Press (2000)

* Anthology
**"Glass Jars Among Trees" (co-edited with Alan Finlay) Jacana (2003)