The Arc of a Rocket is Louder
“the lover licks the lover’s silver tooth like a seafarer / pointing to the south we are alpha centauri”
Justin Blanckensee
Justin Blanckensee is a writer and musician based in Johannesburg, South Africa. He has been published in Black Praxis Magazine, as well as Loud Explosions, Silent Cries—Reflections on the War in Gaza. He is the recipient of the 2023 Deon Hofmeyer Prize for Creative Writing, and received an Ovation Award with his band, 12 Dogs, at the 2025 National Arts Festival in Makhanda. He is currently completing his MFA at the University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg and can be found on Instagram as @justinblanckensee