Ayanda Billie

Ayanda Billie was born in 1975 in KwaNobuhle, Uitenhage, and has lived there all his life. He works as a quality inspector at Volkswagen SA in Uitenhage. He has published two poetry collections, Avenues of my soul in English, and Umhlaba Umanzi in isiXhosa. In 2019 he received a SALA Award for Umhlaba Umanzi, and in 2021 he was recipient of a second SALA award for Poetry this time for KwaNobuhle Overcast. Billie is also a community arts activist, jazz critic, and co-organiser of the Mandela Bay Book Fair.