Monday, 30 September 2024
An anthology of brand-new poems, celebrating migrant experience and grassroots creativity in the region, will launch at Nottingham Playhouse later this week.
Containing over 70 poems, essays and illustrations, the book titled Poetics of Migration marks the end of an Arts and Humanities Research Council Impact Accelerator Account (AHRC IAA)-funded project led by Dr Hongwei Bao, Associate Professor in Media Studies at the University of Nottingham.
The anthology’s title also gives its name to a fund-raising book launch and performance evening on 3 October, held at the theatre, to celebrate the creativity of migrants, refugees and ordinary people in Nottinghamshire. Tickets can be booked directly through the Nottingham Playhouse website.
Comprising work from more than 30 people living in, or connected to Nottinghamshire, the 100-page book – which is edited by Kathleen Dunmore and published by Notts Poetry – provides a platform for ordinary people to express themselves through literature. Celebrating migrant agency and creativity, the contributors come from different walks of life and have various migration experience – some are well published poets, but many are new to writing and publishing poetry.
The performance evening at 7:30pm on Thursday 3 October will feature around fifteen participants who will perform their poetry on stage and share their stories about language, home, food, identity, community and social justice.
Arts and humanities knowledge can be used to empower ordinary people and make social change. This book is a good example of how the community uses literature to express themselves and their relationship to place, identity and social justice.”
The book is the outcome of a six-month Knowledge Exchange project, in collaboration with Notts Poetry and Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Refugee Forum. Through a series of workshops in the summer, Notts Poetry worked with migrants, refugees and ordinary citizens to share their stories about migration experience.
This project is a wonderful opportunity for Notts Poetry to showcase the rich diversity of voices in our community. Poetics of Migration brings together a wide range of experiences and stories that reflect the true spirit of Nottingham. By focusing on migrant voices and grassroots creativity, this anthology helps us highlight and celebrate the unique contributions of these individuals, demonstrating the power of poetry to connect and inspire.”
The book launch will be a fundraising event to support the work of Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Refugee Forum. Tickets can be purchased from Nottingham Playhouse for £5 (free for refugees and asylum seekers), however two complimentary tickets are available for each media organisation via hongwei.bao@nottingham.ac.uk. The book can be purchased at the event or from Notts Poetry.
Story credits
More information is available from Dr Hongwei Bao, Associate Professor in Media Studies in the School of Cultures, Languages and Area Studies, via hongwei.bao@nottingham.ac.uk
Notes to editors:
About the University of Nottingham
Ranked 32 in Europe and 16th in the UK by the QS World University Rankings: Europe 2024, the University of Nottingham is a founding member of the Russell Group of research-intensive universities. Studying at the University of Nottingham is a life-changing experience, and we pride ourselves on unlocking the potential of our students. We have a pioneering spirit, expressed in the vision of our founder Sir Jesse Boot, which has seen us lead the way in establishing campuses in China and Malaysia - part of a globally connected network of education, research and industrial engagement.
Nottingham was crowned Sports University of the Year by The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024 – the third time it has been given the honour since 2018 – and by the Daily Mail University Guide 2024.
The university is among the best universities in the UK for the strength of our research, positioned seventh for research power in the UK according to REF 2021. The birthplace of discoveries such as MRI and ibuprofen, our innovations transform lives and tackle global problems such as sustainable food supplies, ending modern slavery, developing greener transport, and reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
The university is a major employer and industry partner - locally and globally - and our graduates are the second most targeted by the UK's top employers, according to The Graduate Market in 2022 report by High Fliers Research.
We lead the Universities for Nottingham initiative, in partnership with Nottingham Trent University, a pioneering collaboration between the city’s two world-class institutions to improve levels of prosperity, opportunity, sustainability, health and wellbeing for residents in the city and region we are proud to call home.
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