Confined indoors, I needed a writing project. Sitting doggedly at my desk on a daily basis, Nuances, a collection of short stories, was conceived. As a multi-genre author, I chose short stories written for a diverse South African audience. I had already contributed to a South African literary journal and my short, "The Crash", had been prescribed in South African and Namibian high schools. I also had a number of completed short stories on file.
The modern reader is time stretched, so I selected the short story because it could be read in one sitting. Lorrie Moore, the author of Birds of America, says: "A short story is a photograph, a novel is a film." So in Nuances, I featured poignant moments in the everyday lives of the protagonists. Just as a photograph records significant events in one's lives, these short stories aim to do the same in a literary context.
I was privileged to have an accomplished short story writer and published author, Arja Salafranca, as my editor. It is difficult to look objectively at one's own work - she guided me as to which stories to include and added her editorial input.
Professor Lindy Stiebel, who with Niall McNulty published the wonderful documentary A Literary Guide to KwaZulu-Natal, wrote an introduction for Nuances. One of the aims of their book was to create a literary archive of local KwaZulu-Natal writers, both past and present.
In her introduction to mine, Stiebel writes: "A few strands are common, however, to many of the short stories: Stewart's deep love of the natural world; her background in African Languages and the use of irony to give the reader pause and insight to other ways of 'reading' the scenes presented."
Some of the challenges I encountered with compiling this collection were the time it takes from the embryonic seed of the book to its finished product, especially when one is relying on other people. I was also challenged by the endless hours of proofreading common to all authors.
I am grateful to Jane Digby, an artist from the KwaZulu-Natal north coast, who provided an artwork for the cover. A dynamic painter, Jane has exhibited her art in Joburg, Durban and the UK. In October 2019, she participated in the Italian Biennale in Florence.