During his academic career, he offered master classes to MA Creative Writing students writing in both English and Afrikaans, as part of arguably the leading creative writing programme in Africa. Writers like Yewande Omotoso, Lien Botha, Nicole Strauss, Tom Dreyer and Sam Wilson sat in his classes.
Back (left to right): Etienne van Heerden, Willemien Brümmer and Michael Rands. Front: Ingrid Wolfaardt, Quintus van der Merwe and Nanette van Rooyen. Photo: Monday Paper
His activities at the University of Cape Town furthermore included the individual supervision of developing MA Creative Writing dissertations, where he has led a generation of young English and Afrikaans authors to published status, amongst others Debbie Loots, Michael Rands, Sonja Loots, Terry Westby-Nunn and Tom Dreyer. Nineteen of his individually supervised students published their dissertations as books with leading South African publishers, some winning major national awards. Of the books developed under his supervision, Tom Dreyer’s Stinkafrikaners won the Eugène Marais Prize of the South African Academy for Science and Arts and Nini Bennett’s Stoornis won the RAU (now UJ) Award for New Fiction. Nicole Strauss won the University of Johannesburg Prize for the best debut in Afrikaans in 2011, as well as the 2011 Eugėne Marais Award of the South African Academy for Science and Arts, followed by Terry Westby-Nunn winning the same award in 2012 for best literary debut in English. Debbie Loots won the ATKV Award for her novel Split, and Lien Botha won the Eugène Marais Prize and the Jan Rabie-Rapport Prize for Best Debut Novel for Wonderboom. Many other students from his masters classes in Creative Writing have also emerged as published writers.
Van Heerden’s research interests in literature include literary theory, the novel as genre, Caribbean Dutch literature, hypertext, narratology, Afrikaans prose since the early 1980s, and specific areas such as historiography and fiction. As an academic, Van Heerden published in accredited academic journals and supervised postgraduate academic dissertations.
As Hofmeyr Professor he was head of the Department of Afrikaans and Netherlandic Studies at UCT and acted as Director of the Centre for Creative Writing. He also served on the board of directors of NB Publishers, which included, amongst others, the imprints Kwela, Tafelberg, Best Books, Pharos, Van Schaik and Human & Rousseau.
Authors whose manuscripts were supervised by Etienne van Heerden and subsequently published in book form include:
Chantal Stewart The Veil of Maya Interview: |
Wilken Calitz Swart swaan Review: • Lesersindruk: Swart swaan deur Wilken Calitz Interview: • “Slimgeit lê in eenvoud” – Wilken Calitz gesels oor sy debuutroman Swart swaan |
Beyers de Vos Wrok | Talion Review: |
Ian Sutherland Featherstream, later published as Subversion Website: • https://www.iansutherland.co.za/ Reviews: |
 
Lien Botha Wonderboom Reviews / Interviews • Henning Snyman: LitNet Akademies-resensie-essay: Wonderboom deur Lien Botha |
 
Debbie Loots Split |
 
Wilna Adriaanse ’n Klein lewe Website • http://www.wilnaadriaanse.co.za/ Reviews |
 
Terry Westby-Nunn The Sea of Wise Insects Website |
Christine Barkhuizen-Le Roux Padmaker Review: |
 
Nicole Jaekel Strauss Maal Reviews • Marius Crous: Debuut maak jou lus vir meer |
 
Toast Coetzer Naweek Reviews • JB Roux: Naweek hard, maar tog subtiel |
 
Nanette van Rooyen |
 
Ingrid Wolfaardt |
 
Quintus van der Merwe Die blou van ons hemel |
 
Michael Rands Praise Routine Number Four |
 
Willemien Brümmer Die dag toe ek my hare losgemaak het |
 
Chanette Paul-Hughes Leila word lig |
 
Sonja Loots Spoor |
 
Tom Dreyer Stinkafrikaners |
 
Nini Bennett Stoornis |
 
Jaco Botha |
 
Izak de Vries Kom slag ’n bees |
 
Rachelle Greeff Hanna |
| Compilations |
 Together with his students and other writers Etienne van Heerden created Die Rooi Roman as an online interactive novel. This collective effort – a first for Afrikaans – was eventually published in book form by Human & Rousseau. It was co-edited by Jaco Botha, a senior student at the time and now a well-established short story writer. |
 Van Heerden challenged his students to create two “unconventional” love stories each. The result was the collection Die mooiste liefde is verby, published by Tafelberg. |