By Karla Cloete
Edited by Humairaa Mayet
Interview with a doctor and storyteller, straddling the line between science and the humanities.
Dr. Dawn grew up in Rhodesia – now Zimbabwe – as the youngest daughter of three. Serendipitously one sister grew up to be a scientist, the other became an artist, and as the last daughter, Garisch chose to inhabit both worlds.
She’s a published author of fiction and non-fiction, whose works have been transformed into short plays, short films, and television and magazine features.
Although she wanted to be a librarian, her older sister insisted that she study medicine like her. But Dr. Garisch always knew that literature needed to be a part of her life.
“I am grateful to have become a doctor as one can make valuable interventions in people’s lives, and it also forced me to confront the split in myself and in society between the sciences and the arts.”
So, to begin she studied and became a medical doctor through UCT.
Although she was born in Zimbabwe she considers herself a true blue south African author: “I definitely see myself as a South African. I left Zimbabwe when I was 9 years old. All my books are located in the South African landscape, and the concerns of the novels include South African issues.”
Dr. Garisch is also the CEO of the Life Righting Collective.
When the teacher of a memoir course became sick 12 years ago, she asked Dawn to teach the course. After some hesitation, she agreed and that yes changed her life forever. She ran similar courses for about seven years before founding the Life Righting Collective. The aim was to collect funds to open the courses to those who could otherwise not afford them and to promote diversity. They also published their own South African anthology; This Is How It Is.
The project is aimed at providing writing courses to South Africans looking to get their work out in the world. They encourage writers to make writing a daily part of life in order to gain self-awareness and combat anxiety. The courses take place in groups and they try to bring diverse voices together. Everyone is welcome, no matter where they are in their careers or lives.
“As a white South African born into privilege, I am aware that I need to find ways to address this imbalance and to make a meaningful contribution to improving our society. This is a small contribution that also feeds into the very important global project of pushing back against the idea that the arts are frivolous or meaningless.”
Dr. Garisch writes whenever she can, always midway through a poem she often writes late at night when she can’t sleep:
“Some people say that I must be very disciplined to write so much, but I think it’s like reading a book that you love – you can’t wait to get back to it.”
For her, writing is a tool for mental health: “I take the dilemmas that are preoccupying me, my unfinished business, or issues that keep me up worrying at night, give them to fictional characters, and let them run with them. That keeps me curious rather than fearful…”
“… teaching writing is more about making writers feel safe enough and curious enough to explore those things they feel strongly about and the experiences that have shaped their lives and the times in which they live. Teaching writing is more about giving people permission to experiment, to take risks, to abandon the small idea that there is one ‘correct’ way to tell a story.”
They also offer audio and online courses, so you can be part of the heartfelt fun wherever you are. Even if you’ve never written anything, their courses aim to be a safe space for you to explore curiously and where you can be met with compassionate guidance.
If you would like to sponsor their anthology or read the works by their authors, please visit their webpage.
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