vangile gantsho is healer, poet and co-founder of impepho press. She is the author of two poetry collections: red cotton (2018) and Undressing in Front of the Window (2015). She holds an MA, with distinction, from the University Currently Known as Rhodes (2016) – where she is currently a part-time lecturer – and is a graduate of the Thabo Mbeki African Leadership Academy (Pioneer Class). In 2018, she was named one of Mail& Guardian’s Top Young 200 South Africans. Her poetry has been published in various literary publications across the world and her collection, red cotton, was named City Press Top Poetry Read of 2018. gantsho has shared her poetry on stages across three continents, and has curated and produced programmes such as the impepho press Women of Words Online Poetry Festival (2020) 21 Days-21 Poets series (2020), a virtual World Poetry Day (2020), Human4Human (2014-2015), The State Theatre’s Night of the Poets (2013), and Katz Cum out to Play: intimate conversations though poetry and music (2009). She also co-curated and co-produced the SA programme in the Unbound International Spoken Word Festival in the Netherlands (2020). In 2020, gantsho co-created a poetry and film meditation called forgetting. and memory. with Toni Giselle Stuart and Vusumzi Ngxande and is the recipient of the Hear My Voice and the Göteborgs Litteraturhus 2021 Poetry Residency. As a teaching artist, she has worked with Bridges a Pan-Afrikan Arts Movement (Brooklyn NY), CUNY LaGuardia Community College (Queens NY), Mzansi Poetry Academy (Johannesburg), Educhange (Johannesburg) and Quarphix (Johannesburg). She continues to dedicate herself to creating and/or supporting spaces that encourage (black feminine) visibility and healing.
