HAPPINESS LITERARY FOUNDATION
The Happiness Literary Foundation (HLF) (NPC registration number: 2022/460246/08) is an artist-run, not-for-profit organisation that fosters and promotes the culture of reading and writing within South Africa communities and invests in the professional development of local artists. We work to expand access to literature, elevate marginalised voices, and build sustainable literary ecosystems that nurture creativity across generations.
Our goals are to:
- Cultivate a reading-for-pleasure culture by increasing access to diverse, engaging literature.
- Support and develop emerging writers through training, mentorship, and skills-development programmes.
- Champion underrepresented voices to ensure their stories are shared, celebrated, and widely accessible.
- Build sustainable literary ecosystems through partnerships with schools, libraries, publishers, and cultural institutions.
- Create platforms for artistic expression through festivals, workshops, school programmes, and community outreach initiatives.
Programmes that are currently administered by the HLF:
iLEMBE BOOK FESTIVAL
iLembe Book Festival – a book festival which foster intimate engagement in literature and poetry among the community of iLembe District Municipality and the surrounding communities.
HLF CREATIVE WRITING PROGRAMME
In keeping up with our objectives, the Happiness Literary Foundation invites applications for the HLF Creative Writing Programme, an opportunity for South African writers to develop their voices and strengthen their skills in a supportive, professional environment. The goal of the programme is to provide writers with the resources and support they need to develop their works-in-progress, while fostering meaningful connections with peers and professionals in the publishing industry.
2026 SPRING WRITING PROGRAMME
The Happiness Literary Foundation (HLF) and Happiness Books, a publishing company, invite South African youth writers to apply for the HLF Spring Creative Writing Programme focusing on the short story form, in the speculative fiction genre. By speculative fiction, we mean any story that asks, ‘what if?’ If it bends reality, we want to read it. We are looking for stories that feel both strange and familiar: stories rooted in our country’s people, histories, landscapes and languages, while imagining possible futures. The stories can be intimate or epic, mythological or technological, rural or urban, comic or devastating.
Selected writers will participate in a 12-week mentorship programme offering practical training in creative writing craft and technique, and one-on-one mentorship from established writers to develop and strengthen their stories. Stories will be published in an anthology by Happiness Books in Q1 2027.
Who Should Apply
- We invite South African citizens and residents aged 18 to 35 to submit their short fiction.
Submission Guidelines
- Short author bio (max 250 words)
- Synopsis (up to 1 page)
- Short story between 3000 – 5000 words
- Attach the story file (.docx, .doc) to the email
- Include your full name and contact details
- Only one story per writer.
- If submitting a story that has recently been submitted to us for consideration to another anthology, please state this in the submission email
Key Dates
- Submissions open: 01 July 2026
- Submissions close: 10 August 2026
- Programme starts: Mid-September 2026
- Duration: 12 weeks (Writers must be available to attend online sessions for the full duration of the programme)
- Successful applicants notified by: end-August 2026
- Anticipated anthology publication date: March 2027
Send your submissions and general enquires to foundation@happinessbooks.co.za