J A Croome is a South African

novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living wage, living writing novels and other fiction, while other ...

, short story writer, and

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator (thought, thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral t ...

. Born Judy Ann Heinemann on 16 December 1958 in

Zvishavane Zvishavane, formerly known as Shabani, is a mining town in Midlands Province, Zimbabwe. Surrounded by low hills, it lies west of Masvingo, on the main Bulawayo-Masvingo road. Other roads lead from Zvishavane to Gweru, north, and Mberengwa, ...

Southern Rhodesia Southern Rhodesia was a self-governing British Crown colony in Southern Africa, established in 1923 and consisting of British South Africa Company (BSAC) territories lying south of the Zambezi River. The region was informally known as South ...

(now

Zimbabwe file:Zimbabwe, relief map.jpg, upright=1.22, Zimbabwe, relief map Zimbabwe, officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Bots ...

), she received a Master of Arts (English) degree from the

University of South Africa The University of South Africa (UNISA) is the largest university system in South Africa by enrollment. It attracts a third of all higher education students in South Africa. Through various colleges and affiliates, UNISA has over 400,000 student ...

. She currently lives in

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu language, Zulu and Xhosa language, Xhosa: eGoli ) (colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, Jo'burg or "The City of Gold") is the most populous city in South Africa. With 5,538,596 people in the City of Johannesburg alon ...

. Croome was married to South African tax law scholar, Advocate of the High Court of South Africa and tax author, the late Dr Beric John Croome, who died in April 2019 after a long illness.

Biography

Croome's short stories and poetry have been published in ''

The Huffington Post ''HuffPost'' (''The Huffington Post'' until 2017, itself often abbreviated as ''HPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and covers p ...

'', the

University of Witwatersrand The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg (), commonly known as Wits University or Wits, is a multi-campus public research university situated in the northern areas of central Johannesburg, South Africa. The university has its roots in ...

's School of Literature, Language and Media's ''Itch Magazine'' and in various print anthologies released by small presses in the United States and South Africa Croome has also appeared on South African national television on the

South African Broadcasting Corporation The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) is the public broadcaster in South Africa, and provides 19 radio stations (Amplitude modulation, AM/Frequency modulation, FM) as well as 6 television broadcasts and 3 OTT Services to the general ...

's Channel 2 ''Morning Live'' show and on South African national radio on the SAFM ''Sunday Literature'' programme. Croome has also had articles published in South Africa, including in ''

The Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British Sunday newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of N ...

'' (South Africa) and internationally by various on-line magazines and websites. Croome also has an interest in

esoteric Western esotericism, also known as the Western mystery tradition, is a wide range of loosely related ideas and movements that developed within Western society. These ideas and currents are united since they are largely distinct both from orthod ...

matters and does intuitive tarot readings.

Works

Published as J A Croome: * ''The Sand People: a collection of magical realism and other stories'' (fiction, Aztar Press, 2024) Published as Judy Croome: * ''the dust of hope'' (poetry, Aztar Press, 2021) * ''Drop by Drop'' (poetry, Aztar Press, 2020) * ''Street Smart Taxpayers: A Practical Guide to your Rights in South Africa'' (non-fiction, Juta Law, 2017) co-authored with her husband Dr Beric John Croome * ''a stranger in a strange land'' (poetry, Aztar Press, 2015) * ''The Weight of a Feather and other stories'' (short stories, Aztar Press, 2013) * ''a Lamp at Midday'' (poetry, Aztar Press, 2012) * ''Dancing in the Shadows of Love'' (fiction, Aztar Press, 2018, 3rd edition;2012;2011)

Awards and presentations

In 2021, Croome presented a poetry workshop "The Gift of Poetry" to Writers2000(South Africa). In 2021 and 2016, Croome was the external judge of the poetry section in the Writers2000(South Africa)(1985) annual writing competition. In 2011, Croome's "The Place of the Doves" was shortlisted for the African Flash Fiction writing award.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Croome, Judy 1958 births Living people South African women poets South African women novelists Writers from Johannesburg People from Zvishavane South African novelists South African short story writers University of South Africa alumni 20th-century South African writers 20th-century South African women writers 21st-century South African writers 21st-century South African women writers