ROSA is a professional association of romance writers which aims to:
Provide support, encouragement and professional development to romance writers, especially to writers resident in Southern Africa and/or of South African descent.
Enhance and promote the diverse range of romantic fiction, and to encourage and reward good writing within the genre.
Support writers of romantic fiction, from beginners to successfully published authors, through networking, information, resources, an online community and local meetings.
Act as ambassadors for the genre of romantic fiction within Southern Africa.
Our History
ROSA is a non-profit, volunteer-run professional association with a constitution, founded in 2014. Volunteers are voted onto the Executive Committee in advance of the Annual General Meeting, usually held in September each year. Terms run for one year.
ROSA was founded as a Yahoo group in 2010 by Romy Sommer and Mandy Verbaan. Over the years, the group’s numbers grew substantially, and in 2014 was officially registered as a non-profit organisation in order to host our first conference.
Today, the organisation has chapters in Johannesburg, Pretoria, Cape Town, the Garden Route and Durban. Our membership is spread across the country, and includes members in neighbouring countries as well as South African expats living abroad.
In addition to chapter meetings, we also conferences, writing retreats, run awards and mentorship programs, and maintain an active online community to enable our members to connect with one another.
We welcome authors at all stages of their journey, whether traditionally published, indie-published or unpublished, across all genres.
If you are interested in volunteering with ROSA, please contact us.
