South African novelist Etienne Van Heerden, a 1990 fellow with the International Writing Program, recently announced the launch of SpeakEasy, a new forum for "discussion, debate and mud-slinging on books, writing, reading, language, and publishing," on LitNet, a multi-lingual website for the South African writing community.

LitNet is a site that rewards exploration. In addition to the forum, the site features book reviews, original poetry and fiction, and special projects including the Chain Interview, an ongoing conversation "writers working in different languages, authors who publish in various contexts and come from different cultures."