CHARAIVETI (Keep Moving) by Quinne Brown Huffman

There has been a remarkable upswing in the popularity of poetry recently and, although I won’t profess to be knowledgeable of the genre nor a great enthusiast, I do find a lot of contemporary poetry refreshing, pleasing and infinitely more accessible.

When Quinne Brown Huffman, an actress, women activist, doula and mother who admits having found her voice as a writer ‘against all odds’, published Charaiveti (Keep Moving) – her debut book of poetry late last year – I was thrilled to receive a copy. Her poems offer intimate insight into her journey of becoming a woman, and I was able to identify with each of them.

Quinne is an avid traveller, reader and born storyteller who, since childhood, has captured her relationships, experiences, and daily comings and goings in journals, which have formed the basis of this book of poetry.

In 1998, Quinne flew from her cosy family nest to England and Europe, which was followed by years of adventures that took her to remote parts of Africa and later to America. Her poems embody her losses and heartbreak, her loves and successes.

Over the last 20 years, Quinne has become a known face in many households in South Africa as a character in a popular TV show. Her character afforded her access to many spaces and communities where she experienced first-hand the diverse cultures of South Africa.

Married to an American, Ryan Huffman, Quinne lived in the US for 10 years. She worked as an actress in San Francisco before qualifying as a doula (birth coach) in San Diego where both her daughters were born.

Reading through her book (which offers both prose and poetry), I thought that her choice of title, CHARAIVETI (Keep Moving), is appropriate, as it alludes not only to her wanderlust and roaming nature but also her growth in mind and spirit.

It is a delightful, highly entertaining read complemented by the wonderful artwork of her sister, Esther Engelbrecht, which serves to highlight sentiments throughout the book. Quinne says her mentors, poets Bernard Levinson and Gene Alexander, were big influences and key players in prompting her to spill the contents of her soul.

It is a book filled with hope and optimism, and reaffirms the belief that, in sharing our stories and making ourselves vulnerable, we will gain strength, understanding and compassion.