Although it’s dark and you can’t see her piercing blue eyes, she still stands out. Her American accent is always audible above the South African chatter around her, even when she’s whispering. It’s fascinating.
Although it’s dark and you can’t see her piercing blue eyes, she still stands out. Her American accent is always audible above the South African chatter around her, even when she’s whispering. It’s fascinating.
What is this woman doing in Bedford? We’re always drawn to foreigners, wanting them to speak so we can feel closer to something far away.
There’s no doubt that speaking to Joette Miller has this effect on people. Standing between the flickering fire and this grey haired American in her cowboy boots makes the Karoo seem a little bit warmer on this winter night.
“I’m a science type, and in science there’s always a right and a wrong answer. That’s why this writing thing is hard for me,” she says, gesturing broadly with brown hands and flicking ash into the air around us.
It explains why she seems so unsure of herself in the writing workshop when by the fire she exudes a warm and easy confidence. “I’ve been told that I should write my life story,” she explains.
“There are things that have happened to me that make people gasp when I say them out loud, but in my head they’re comfortable. I need to get them out. It’s a sort of therapy for me.”
But why Bedford? The path that brought her to a small writing workshop in the Karoo started long ago.“I’m from Texas,” she states proudly. “And gay people aren’t looked on so kindly there.
My partner is South African, she lived with me in the States for a while but in the end we had to move. I’ve been beaten up, put in hospital and had my house trashed because of who I am.
Eventually our emigration lawyer told us we had to leave.” This story alone would make for riveting reading, but Joette has a lot more to share.
“A friend of mine wants to produce a screenplay of my story, and she asked me to write it for her. With my background in science, my writing is very factual and not descriptive enough.
A friend suggested I come to the workshop to develop that,” she says, pushing her grey hair out of her eyes. Exploring her past is tempting, she is easily the most interesting person in the room, but Joette hasn’t finished.
The exciting thing in her life right now stems from her background in Environmental Geology and Science, and her desire to give back to a suffering world.
“For the last three years I’ve been working on a project called Community Building. I’ve developed a building material called fibrous cement which is made from recycled newspaper, glass and styrofoam which is light and easy to work with, making it perfect for a women’s empowerment campaign,” she said.
The project’s aim is to clean up the townships, their structure and their community, by rebuilding them and uplifting women in the process.
Her business partner recently pitched the idea to governmental agencies and the response was positive. As distracting as this new endeavour is for Joette, she’s got another move in mind.
“My partner and I are thinking of moving to Grahamstown,” she said. “We’ll come down during the Arts Festival and check it out.”
