3 – 11 OCT 2026
3 – 11 OCT 2026
The Toyota Stellenbosch Woordfees zine for 2026 is called HI-FI, and we are ready to turn back time and turn up the volume. We’re looking for the high-fidelity truths, the low-fi aesthetics, the analog nostalgia, the static, the noise, and the deep cuts of your creative mind.
This year’s festival theme (Dis HOOG Tyd // It’s About Time) has an urgency to it – but there’s also implied highness, as well as all the oddness folded into the passing of time. HI-FI is short for High Fidelity, and the literal meaning is “high faithfulness” (from the Latin fidelitas, meaning truthfulness or loyalty).
Introduced in the 1930s and popularized in the 1950s during the boom of home audio systems, it defined sound reproduction that was highly faithful to the original performance.But what happens when we look for “high fidelity” (truth, loyalty, accuracy) in a world that feels increasingly distorted?
We want to revisit the era of mixtape engineering, tangled cassette tapes, and massive stereos in living rooms. We want the “highs” (euphoric, altered, elevated) and the “lows” (grit, grunge, cheap photocopy culture). We invite poets, artists, zine-makers, playlist-curators, photographers, and late-night scribblers to tune into our frequency.
Mixtape Philosophy // Tracklists for moods you can’t explain. Side A vs. Side B of your personality. Pure Fidelity // A truth, unedited. Raw, un-mastered thoughts. 90s / 00s Static // Lyrics scrawled on CD jewel cases, the sound of dial-up internet, the exact feeling of waiting by the radio to record your favorite song. // The Highs // Pieces inspired by euphoria, altered states, obsession, or that specific rush of a perfect moment. Perhaps you are inspired to write a praise poem about a Hilux? Or get all Harry Styles about it and bang on about a runners’ high. Ever gotten high on a Real Housewives supply? You could even just send us a straight forward stoner poem. // The Hidden Tracks // The white noise of daily life. // High Time // The final countdown. What is the unfiltered, high-fidelity truth you’ve been holding back that you finally need to blast at full volume? A skipping record // A poem or artwork about a memory, a mistake, or a history that keeps repeating itself on a loop. // A Warped Tape // How time distorts everything. // High BPM // Pieces that move at a frantic tempo. The urgency of racing clock and late-night panic. // Get On Your High Horse (or get off) – be as arrogant as you need to be to tell a truth that must be told. Or grow a pair and admit something you were wrong about. // Review a favourite song from a time gone by, and tell us why it mattered and should be // Rewind / Fast Forward
Photocopy art, typewriter poetry, analog mistakes, collages made with real scissors and glue, or blurry photos that capture more mood than a smartphone ever could.
Submissions can be in any language and in any form: poems, micro-fiction, playlist-essays, analog photography, sketches, lyrics, collage art, or found text. Think tactile, nostalgic, loud, distorted, and beautifully honest.
Keep your poems and fiction short-short: Word limit = 800 words. Shorter is better for this format.
The Zine format is A5 – keep that in mind when you pick visuals to submit.
Send your work (max 3 pieces; word.doc, PDF, or high-res image file preferred) to woordfeeszine@gmail.com with the subject line HI-FI.
Deadline: 6 September 2026
After the deadline, we dive in and make our decisions. You will be notified by email if your submission was successful. If you do not hear from us by 30 September please try again next year!
Successful submissions will be invited to collect their complimentary copy of the zine and participate in the Hi-Fi Launch (in collaboration with Ons Klyntji, who will also be launching their latest zine!) – open mic and lekkerness.
Your friends can buy tickets to the event for R50 – a copy of Hi-Fi is included in the ticket price. Ons Klyntji will be on sale at the venue.
