Bianca Marais holds a Certificate in Creative Writing from the University of Toronto’s School of Continuing Studies, where she now teaches creative writing.

Before becoming an author, she started a corporate training company and volunteered with Cotlands, where she assisted care workers in Soweto with providing aid for HIV/AIDS orphans and their caregivers.

She champions the Own Voices movement in her country of birth, South Africa, where she runs the Eunice Ngogodo Own Voices Initiative to encourage and empower women of colour to tell their own stories.

Bianca is also the author of two novels that take place against the rich and sometimes tragic history of her native South Africa. Set against the backdrop of the 1976 Soweto uprising, Hum if You Don’t Know the Words is a page-turner that provides a satisfying emotional journey. And now in paperback, Bianca’s second novel, If You Want to Make God Laugh — a rich, unforgettable story of three unique women in post-Apartheid South Africa who are brought together in their darkest time, and discover the ways that love can transcend the strictest of boundaries.

“Lovely… Marais showcases her talent for pulling beauty from the pain of South African history with a strong story and wonderfully imperfect characters.” – Publishers Weekly

Bianca additionally hosts the podcast, ‘The Shit No One Tells You About Writing’, which is aimed at emerging writers/aspiring authors and those who’d like a behind-the-scenes look at the publishing industry. She also co-organizes The Emerging Writers Reading Series in Toronto which is where she lives.

Bianca will be interviewing the vast majority of our authors for the 2020 virtual edition of the Book Drunkard Literary Festival — be sure to read about the many events we have in store!

View 2020 Events