In 1993, after two years of preparation, Pamela Mills left the United States to return to South Africa and record what she could of her ancestors. As she interviewed family members and chronicled daily life in Kamastone, however, her purpose evolved. As such, Kamastone is as much the documentary of a family who experienced an unusual cultural position in apartheid-driven South Africa as it is a glimpse into one woman's narrative reconciliation with herself. Both make Kamastone invaluable to those interested in the history of South Africa, as well as to those interested in the relationship between memory, narrative, and what it means to come home. Praise for Kamastone
"Pam Mills' memoir opens a window onto a relatively unknown area of South Africa and a family with a fascinating history of both black and white ancestors." -Anne Serafin, co-editor of African Women Writing Resistance: Contemporary Voices "Crisp and invigorating... I'm stung afresh by the loss of Pam Mills (too soon...), but also stung by the beauty, her clear eyes, the imaginative generosity and psychological complexity of her writing, reminiscent of James Agee, whose work she adored." -Todd Hearon, author of Strange Land "A complex and passionate work, Kamastone takes the reader on a journey of reclamation as Mills sifts through fragments of memory, interviews, letters and other creative imaginings to offer a story of South Africa few have known. Her voice, raw and authentic, details an intricate yet beautiful world so often overshadowed by violence and unrest." -Cathryn Smith, author of The Glory Walk
About the Author: Pamela Mills (1956-2004) grew up in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. After majoring in English and Drama at the University of Cape Town, she got her first professional job as stage manager and actress at South Africa's first non-racial theater, The Space Theatre, which was co-founded by Athol Fugard. Her first play, A Matter of Time or The Wondrous Adventures of Starklith and Maccoboy Mole, was produced by the Market Theatre in Johannesburg. In 1988 she moved to Boston to teach ESL through drama. Scene of Shipwreck, her next play, received readings at the Playwrights' Platform and the Women's Project, and was produced by the Raven Theatre in Chicago. Ms. Mills has had several monologues published by Heinemann, Smith & Kraus, and Meriwether, and has been a finalist for the Jane Chambers Playwriting Award. In 1999 Anna Deavere Smith used Ms. Mills' "bucket boy" story in Common Infractions, Gross Injustices, which was performed at the American Repertory Theater as part of Ms. Smith's Institute on the Arts and Civic Dialogue. Later, Pam completed her MFA in Directing at Boston University, where she directed Night Sky, People are Living There, The Lady from the Sea, and Sinan Ünel's new play, Single Lives, at the Boston Playwrights Theatre, and Caryl Churchill's Mad Forest at the Huntington Theatre's black box. Since receiving her MFA, Ms. Mills began working with the Gypsy Mamas, an experimental theatre company in Boston, who are hoping to produce Ms. Mills' most recent play, Song of the Tired Traveler. After being diagnosed with terminal cancer, Pam returned to her home in South Africa in August 2004 to die.
ABOUT THE EDITOR: Maria Brandt received her PhD in English from Boston College in 2003 and is Associate Professor of English at Monroe Community College in Rochester, New York, where she teaches American Literature Since 1865 and directs a new Creative Writing program. Her novella All the Words won the 2014 Grassic Short Fiction Prize and will be published by Evening Street Press in 2015. Her collection NY Plays will be published by Heartland Plays, also in 2015. Maria is a founding member of Straw Mat Writers, with whom she co-authored FourPlay for the 2014 First Niagara Fringe Festival. She lives just outside Highland Park with her son William.
