The Blaq Book

Welcome to the Blaq Book, the home of all things written by C. S. Hadebe. Who am I? I am a South African writer and editor born and based in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal. Yeah, I still live there because I got mad love for my hometown and my people. With years of writing and editorial experience, my catalogue of published works includes 400+ articles (with several cover issues) spread between magazine platforms such as Front Page, Batswadi Magazine, The Music Review, and Previdar. These platforms cover different beats, including music; parenthood and family life; fashion; as well as current affairs. Through the years, I have curated countless interviews for the platforms, we're talking chats with BET-nominated stars such as K.O and Abigail Chams as well as Grammy-nominated American producer Dan Malsch. Other interviews include a host of local household names such as Lady Zamar, Darque, Zadok, BandaBanda, and International Emmy-winning filmmaker Palesa Buyeye. But these works aren't placed here. That's my professional side. They can be viewed on the platforms I've written for or on my portfolio on Muck Rack: www.muckrack.com/cs_hadebe. This website is the home of all my other writings and musings that never quite found a "home", as us writers say of our works. I decided to name this place "The Blaq Book" for a personal and nostalgic reason. When I was 13, I took an unused A4 two-quire book and started writing my poems in it. 9 November 2012 was the date, and my first ever creation was born on the floor of my bedroom in Hathaway, a quiet complex in Alexandra Road. I called it the Blaq Book. I lost it two years after when we got evicted; it got lost in the stuff that got thrown out. I was devastated and have been for years. That's why the home page of the website looks like a simplified 2-quire book cover devoid of detail. This place is my lost child born again. From fiction and personal stories to opinions and observations, you should be able to find a lot of everything here, and I hope you enjoy your stay. May I toot my horn a little since you've gotten this far reading? I have been longlisted for the Commonwealth Short Story Prize and the SA Writers College Short Story Competition. I have also been awarded an Honorable Mention in the L. Ron Hubbard Writers of the Future Contest. My debut literary piece was awarded Best Essay of 2022 for the inaugural Best of a Shallow Year by The Shallow Tales Review. My literally writings have appeared in The Shallow Tales Review, Lolwe, Kalahari Review, and elsewhere. I have also served as a creative nonfiction reader for Burlington-based literary magazine, Mud Season Review, and as a fiction reader for Longleaf Review, both these stints were for a short while. The unpublished manuscript for my debut epic fantasy novel "The Ones Who Were Murdered But Lived" was shortlisted for the 2026 Iskanchi Book Prize. Well, okay. I'm done. :-3