DonBeukes

Don Beukes was born in Athlone in Cape Town, South Africa. He spent his childhood in Elsies River and Belhar and graduated at the University of the Western Cape with a BA Degree in English and Geography in 1992 where he also studied Psychology. He then qualified as a teacher with a Higher Diploma in Education (Post-Graduate) in 1993.

He is a retired teacher of English and Geography and taught for Twenty years in both South Africa and the United Kingdom.

Don's debut collection of poetry, 'The Salamander Chronicles', was published in December 2016 by Creative Talents Unleashed, dealing with a range of themes such as oppression, bullying, politics, globalism, sexism, abuse, birth, death, refugees, as well as racism, having been born, raised and educated during the last two decades of Apartheid.

His writing journey was shaped during the last ten years and only came to fruition in May 2015 when he collaborated with a well known South African comedian and artist, Casper De Vries for an ekphrastic poetry exhibition (in absentia), based on selected artwork of Mr De Vries for the 'Aapstrak Vat 5 Art Exhibition' at the Alice Art Gallery in Ruimsig, South Africa in both English and Afrikaans.

His poetry has been published in numerous literary magazines and journals in the USA, Canada, India, Bangladesh and The Phillipines, as well as in anthologies. Some of his poems have also been translated into Albanian by Irsa Ruçi, as well as in Farsi by Iranian poet Soodabeh Saeidnia. He recently collaborated with internationally renowned cartoonist, artist and animator, Nanda Soobben, from Durban in South Africa as well as Jonel Scholtz from South Africa and also  the London based artist Pete Rumney.

He plans to use his publication success to establish his own foundation in South Africa one day to improve literacy in schools and to promote a reading culture in impoverished communities, as he is passionate about the state of education in South Africa and indeed the global village.