Sunrise Over South Africa

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From the traveler’s exhaustion to the bustle of an open market, from a crowd of larcenous monkeys to the “inner cry” of Soweto, from stuffed pancakes to aloe trees, from breathtaking vistas to busy baboons and abusive ostriches — these poems will spark the memories and enrich the experience of any traveler to Africa. Joseph Kuhn Carey is the poet of joyful touristry, and Sunrise Over South Africa is his most joyous book. It is also his most substantial, the pages enriched by quotations from Nelson Mandela, and including a celebration of family, with which he is clearly blessed. This book should be tucked in a pocket of every suitcase or backpack on the way to Cape Town or Eswatini or the Cango Caves.

—Janet Burroway, Pulitzer Prize–nominated novelist, Simone in Pieces, Imaginative Writing, and Raw Silk

In Sunrise Over South Africa, Joseph Kuhn Carey’s stark and unblinking poems take readers to a land resplendent with beauty, pathos, humor, and bittersweet history. You will be transported.

—Bryan Gruley, Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist and author, Bitterfrost and the Starvation Lake trilogy

Joe Carey’s exceptional skill is turning vacation narratives into beautiful, profound, and meaningful metaphors for life. He demonstrates in Sunrise Over South Africa the depth of his perceptions and the clarity of his insightful observations. In his vivid descriptions, Carey transports his readers to exotic places, allowing us to feel like part of his surroundings. In his latest book, Carey reveals he is a skilled storyteller, a passionate traveler, and an elegant wordsmith. In the intricacy of his word choices, the author shares his love of family, travel, and all of the little moments a life is comprised of. Carey is the ultimate poet; he can paint a picture and share a gem of wisdom in the compact, lyrical rhythms of his poetry. In his persuasive narratives, Carey inspires us to leave our comfort zones and travel the world.

—Terry Loncaric, award-winning poet and author, Poems from a Restless Traveler

“From the traveler’s exhaustion to the bustle of an open market, from a crowd of larcenous monkeys to the “inner cry” of Soweto, from stuffed pancakes to aloe trees, from breathtaking vistas to busy baboons and abusive ostriches — these poems will spark the memories and enrich the experience of any traveler to Africa. Joseph Kuhn Carey is the poet of joyful touristry, and Sunrise Over South Africa is his most joyous book. It is also his most substantial, the pages enriched by quotations from Nelson Mandela, and including a celebration of family, with which he is clearly blessed. This book should be tucked in a pocket of every suitcase or backpack on the way to Cape Town or Eswatini or the Cango Caves.”

Janet Burroway, Pulitzer Prize Nominated Novelist, author of Imaginative Writing and Raw Silk

“In Sunrise Over South Africa, Joseph Kuhn Carey’s stark and unblinking poems take readers to a land resplendent with beauty, pathos, humor, and bittersweet history. You will be transported.”

Bryan Gruley, Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist and author, Bitterfrost and the Starvation Lake trilogy

“Joe Carey’s exceptional skill is turning vacation narratives into beautiful, profound, and meaningful metaphors for life. He demonstrates in Sunrise Over South Africa the depth of his perceptions and the clarity of his insightful observations. In his vivid descriptions, Carey transports his readers to exotic places, allowing us to feel like part of his surroundings. In his latest book, Carey reveals he is a skilled storyteller, a passionate traveler, and an elegant wordsmith. In the intricacy of his word choices, the author shares his love of family, travel, and all of the little moments a life is comprised of. Carey is the ultimate poet; he can paint a picture and share a gem of wisdom in the compact, lyrical rhythms of his poetry. In his persuasive narratives, Carey inspires us to leave our comfort zones and travel the world.”

Terry Loncaric, award-winning poet and author, Poems from a Restless Traveler

A Tower of Giraffes

Giraffes are

incredibly tall

grazing like huge

construction cranes

in the treetops,

their necks

so impossibly long,

but there is an unexpected

grace to their movements

as they pace around

in twos and threes

in the wild,

their ears perk up

and they look across the field

and know you are there,

and what a beautiful

gallop when they run!

A Dazzle of Zebras

A dazzle of zebras

was gathered next to the

Kruger Park road, just

a few yards from our vehicle, their

stripes so hard to believe;

how could such an animal

exist and, yet, they are

in the wild, adults and

young ones, interacting,

feeding, grazing, growing.

Sunrise Over South Africa Awards

Sunrise Over South Africa Collection Awards:

— London Book Festival (April 2024): Winner, “Poetry” Category; 2nd Place Winner, “Wild Card” Category

— New York Book Festival (August 2024): Runner-Up Award, “Poetry” Category

— Paris Book Festival (September 2024): Runner-Up Award, “Poetry” Category; Runner-Up Award, “Travel” Category

— San Francisco Book Festival (June 2024): Runner-Up Award, “Poetry” Category

Individual Poem Awards:

— 93rd Annual Writer’s Digest Writing Competition (2024): “The Good Driver” received an Honorable Mention Award in the Non-Rhyming Poetry Category

— Highland Park Poetry (2019): “Puffs of Smoke” was nominated for a Pushcart Prize Award

— Illinois State Poetry Society Poetry Contest (2018): “Dance Party at the Durban Airport” was selected as a First-Place Winner in the “Giving Voice” Category 10

Publication:

Distilled Lives, Volume 7 (Illinois State Poetry Society, 2024): “Golf in the Sunshine,” “The Cape Point Lighthouse”

East on Central (2022, 2023, 2025): “Cleopatra’s Needle,” “The Africa Café,” “Touching the Waters” Highland Park Poetry: “The Ostriches of Oudtshoorn,” “The Glassblowers of Eswatini,” “A Tower of Giraffes,” “Two Lane Road,” “The Hot Towel,” “Puffs of Smoke”

— Illinois State Poetry Society: “A Hamburger at Woolworths,” “Cable Car to Table Mountain,” “Head in the Clouds,” “The African Drum”

Inkwell (Decatur Area Poets, 2024): “Giraffes on the Run,” “The Potholes at Bourke’s Luck”

— Road Trips (Highland Park Poetry, 2024): “Two Lane Road”

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