Beyond passion
In missionary obligation,
Women study ceilings:
Cracks
Stucco
Paint
Coving
Colour
Discolour
Alone and wondering
In pain and anguish
Women examine ceilings
Dust
Cobwebs
Spots
Insects
Alive
Dead
In the menstrual clutches
Of belly and back
Their eyes meander over ceilings
Maps
Corners
Points
Sides
Centre
Edge
Do men know floors?
Hamilton, 1988
See Context
Therese Benadé, author of Kites of Good Fortune, writes about her heritage and upbringing in South Africa and her travels and living experiences on five continents. A Canadian citizen, she lives in Ipswich, Massachusetts with her husband, Jim Armstrong. Her two adult children are Rex and Kirstie van der Spuy. Read more...
A story about the lives of the author’s ancestors at the Cape of Good hope in the 17th and 18th centuries. Published 2004.
The Afrikaans translation of Kites of Good Fortune.
Set in South Africa between 1880 and 1927, the book explores the intellectual and moral influences on South African women of the ‘head, heart and hand’ education brought by American teachers from Mount Holyoke College.
Stories from my life touching on my childhood, my travels and teaching career, on being an immigrant, on learning languages and unlearning racism.