Hannah Kerchhoff
Author, essayist, multi-instrumentalist and founder. Based in Johannesburg, with roots in the Cape Flats.
Living truthfully, and intentionally
Hannah Kerchhoff is a South African author, essayist, multi-instrumentalist, performing artist and founder based in Johannesburg, with roots in the Cape Flats. She spent a few years in Texas before returning home to South Africa.
Her debut essay collection, My Undoing, was published by Shofar Books in December 2024. Her writing explores faith, identity and what it means to live truthfully and intentionally, and she writes the newsletter Built to Hold Multitudes. She has appeared on SABC 3’s Expresso Show, CCFM 107.5 and Heart FM 104.9.
In 2026, Hannah was diagnosed with Autism Type 1 and ADHD, which she describes as her whole life finally making sense. For a long time, the way her mind ran in several directions at once felt like a flaw to manage. She has come to see it as a strength to use.
She is the founder and executive director of the Kerchhoff Impact Initiative, a registered nonprofit company building public programming for communities, and the founder of Kerchhoff Marketing Agency. Both sit under Kerchhoff Legacy, a structure she built to hold everything she is working on simultaneously but without the pressure to choose between the different parts of herself.
Outside of her writing and her work, you can find Hannah in action on the padel courts or jamming with her musical family.
- Based inJohannesburg, South Africa
- BookMy Undoing, Shofar Books, 2024
- FounderKerchhoff Impact Initiative
- NewsletterBuilt to Hold Multitudes
- InstrumentsFlute, piano, guitar
The work beyond the page
Kerchhoff Legacy is the home of Hannah’s founder work: a registered nonprofit building programmes for communities, and a marketing agency helping people and businesses own their story.