Reviews and comment from the Demon Crew - creative writers at De Montfort University, Leicester.

Thursday 2 March 2017

It ends with the poem 'Home'

Image result for welcome to leicester poetry anthology home
Taken from
 https://emmalee1.wordpress.com/2017/02/22/lost-and-found-at-write-on/
  On Monday evening Cultural Exchanges featured its first poetry launch of the week with the Welcome to Leicester anthology, and many of the featured poets came to read their contributions to the book. 

One recurring theme in these poems was diversity in Leicester. Editor Emma Lee identified this as an aim of the book. The book includes work by long-term residents, newcomers, and people who have moved away. 


In the discussion afterwards, one poet thanked Emma Lee and Ambrose Musiyiwa for the change in perspective this book offers. Leicester was once known as an unfriendly city but today it's a great place for wonderful experiences, as this book shows.

Another running theme was the comfort people found in Leicester, as shown in Malka Al-Haddad's poem 'Leicester is homeland'. And, as Emma says, she likes tthe way the anthology ends with the poem 'Home.' And the warmth and affection so many people find in Leicester was evident, not just through tehir words but through the energy of the readers and even the way their bodies moved.


The book, now in its second edition, has become a success. Reviews from Everybody's Reviewing shows that this really is a book wit hsomething for everyone.


Megan Louise

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