Our People

At Cover2Cover, we are – kind to one another. We love what we do. Kindness and love is a wonderful combination.

I do what I do because – books and reading take me places and I get to have much better understanding of the universe.  

As a child, the naughtiest thing I did was – I was never naughty. *Laughs*

If I was not at my current job I would – be bored.

The most important lesson I’ve learned in the last year is – to never to trust a politician.

The most exciting thing about my job is – once a new book gets printed, I get to deliver the news to the authors and send them their copies. Their responses and excitement make me really happy to be the one sharing the news with them!

The most important lesson I’ve learned this year is – never be afraid to speak out.

A distinguishable characteristic I have is – I have a bubbly personality. I love people, and that is why I can do my job so well.

My dream is – that one day I will read about a famous South African writer who says something like, “I learnt to love reading from the Harmony High books (or any Cover2Cover title) and that was the beginning of my journey as a writer.”

The most important lesson I’ve learned in the last year is – not to worry so much what others think, and to trust myself and my judgement.

The most exciting thing about my job is – I love my job. I love reading, writing, and education, and my job involves all of these things. I like to feel that I am part of a greater movement in SA towards equality and justice (and for this, literacy is vital).

My strength – and possibly my weakness, especially when I was a teacher – is seeing everyone’s point of view. (This isn’t always helpful as a teacher when you need to draw boundaries or hold learners accountable!) I am messy (ask my colleagues!) but I am a clear thinker. I enjoy being with people and hearing their stories.

Cover2Cover is – a female led powerhouse. The people here are natural nurturers, supporters and encouragers. I love it here.

What I love most about this organisation is – the fact that this company was birthed from such a pure desire to help the youth increase their ability and love for reading.

I am happiest when – I am taking a walk with my husband; surrounded by nature…or napping.

A trait I find admirable in others is – when a person can change their self-concept or overcome a limiting belief they have about themselves and their potential. The greatest battle we face is in the mind – so when a person can challenge and overcome their own restricting beliefs about themselves – that’s pretty remarkable.

The most important lesson I’ve learned in the last year is – in life, people are what matter most.

I do what I do because – I love reading. I love collecting books. And, I love growing small businesses into sustainable organisations. Most of my professional life has been spent in the small business/organisation space. Cover2Cover Books allows me to follow my passions in the professional space… and most importantly, it gives me the opportunity to share my personal loves with others.

I am the happiest when – I run. In the last two to three years, I discovered that I can actually run. While I can’t run very fast, running gives me immense pleasure and satisfaction – space and time to think and just be in the moment. I’m lucky enough to live in Muizenberg so my early morning run to St James and home again is probably the happiest part of my day.

The most exciting thing about my job is – the idea generation space. I think that one of the benefits of being in a small enterprise is that there is the opportunity for flexibility, agility and experimentation. At Cover2Cover we’ve tried a lot of different things – not everything has worked, but it is exciting to be able to not only have ideas but to also try them out and learn from them.

3 words that best describe me are – passionate, creative, chaotic at times.

The most exciting thing about my job is – seeing young writers grow in confidence and their excitement at having their first novels in print, or short story in an anthology.

If I could change one thing about how I was raised as a child – I would go to a different high school where creativity was valued.

The characteristic I admire most in others is – putting ideas into practice.

The quirkiest thing I do in my free time is – Does mushroom hunting count as quirky? It seems very sensible to me to forage for food, but a lot of people find it quite scary.

I am happiest when – I’m curled up with a book – or cooking for friends.

If I could change one thing about how I were raised as a child, it would it be –  Apartheid. It was a terrible system to grow up under, and even though as a white person I didn’t experience direct oppression, I think it was unhealthy for everyone to live in that evil culture. How different it would have been to grow up in an open society! I wouldn’t really change how my parents raised me – they were open minded and actively anti-Apartheid – but I’d change that about my context.

The most important lesson I’ve learned this year is – At the moment, I am learning how to be a good parent to a puppy …