Johannesburg South writer nominated for literary award

In a deeply moving tribute to her late daughter, Tahlia Bothma – whose life was cut short by a drunk driver at 19, Johannesburg South writer Diana Burns has captured the grief and enduring love of a mother’s loss in an essay that has received recognition.

The powerful piece, which captures the pain and resilience of losing a child, has been nominated for a prestigious Spillwords literary award, placing Burns among some of the most respected voices in contemporary writing.

As she reflects on the profound impact of Tahlia’s passing, Burns’ essay touches hearts and sheds light on mourning, memory and healing.

A passionate writing journey

Originally from Robertsham and currently works as an online English teacher and course creator for a French company, Burns has been writing for her own pleasure since she was in Grade One and it was only over the past few years that she submitted her work for publication.

“I joined Spillwords in September 2022 and published my first poem,” shared Burns. Spillwords is the home for all that live and breathe words, spilt or inspired, through literature of every genre, from writers and poets of every walk of life and around the world. It can be described as a place where classic, modern, and contemporary writers and writings thrive. When asked why she began writing, she said: “I would say that my writing began with much the same theme it continues with today – dealing with pain.”

Reflecting on the pain

It was on one of the anniversaries of losing Tahlia that Burns was inspired to write the essay. “To be honest, it was written as an open letter to the family of the drunk driver who ended my daughter’s life,” she shared.

“We were never able to get the boy prosecuted, and there was never any remorse shown from either him or his family. Not even one single solitary attempt at an apology. I want them never to forget her face, never forget her name.”

Writing an essay about the tragic passing of her daughter differs from her previous works as all her earlier writing was poetry. The essay about Tahlia recounts, in great detail, what happened and how Burns felt the night of her daughter’s passing.

She expressed: “It all just came tumbling out in an avalanche of words and feelings and aside from reviewing it to check language and grammar; I have not read it since I wrote it. It’s too painful.”

For Burns, there was never a specific moment that made her turn her grief into writing. “It was just inevitable because I write about all my grief.”

Besides the essay, this passionate writer has written a lot of poetry about the loss of her beautiful Tahlia. “It is a huge form of therapy for me. I never had any form of counselling. I am unable to speak about it, to anyone. But the poetry, helps me to release the pain without actually talking to anyone.”

The power of remembrance and writing

The nomination was Burns’ third consecutive nomination for Publication of the Year. “It feels great to be recognised once again for my writing.

“Writing has always been my biggest passion, and realising that people enjoy what I write feels very validating,” highlighted Burns.

“The nomination for this specific essay about my daughter means more than I can put into words.”

Burns emphasised how people who have never lost a child don’t understand how important it is for grieving parents to remember their child – to remind the world of them, to put their name out there as often as possible, to try to keep them in the present and not let them be forgotten.

“I was crying as I wrote it, completely reliving that night. As challenging as that was, I just had to write it all down. The words came tumbling out as I sobbed,” she expressed.

Looking ahead

Although Burns is unsure of how her writing will evolve in the future, she does share show it usually follows its own course.

“I will for sure keep writing poetry, but I have recently set aside one day per week to find a part-time position that allows me to utilise my writing for gain and the other four days I will continue with my primary career, as always,” said Burns.

Her advice to other writers who may want to express their personal experiences but feel uncertain about how to begin is just to write what you feel.

She added: “Make it as real as you can because only you know your story and only you know how to tell it.”

Tahlia left behind her mother, father, brother, and sister. “Our lives will be forever changed. We have lost any future version of her, not just the version she left behind. She will always be gone, and we will always love her. We will continue to mourn her forever,” shared Burns.