A statement in light of recent attacks
The Reader currently runs Shared Reading Groups for asylum seekers and refugees and/or those who have English as an additional language across the UK. We, like so many, are devastated to see the deplorable violent attacks on communities and are reflecting on the words of one of our wonderful volunteer Reader Leaders, Jane who runs one of these Shared Reading groups. Her words feel more poignant now than ever:
“For displaced people, so much of their interaction with their new country is transactional – filling in forms and so on. I wanted to communicate with them as humans – soul to soul.
“Shared Reading really is a way to meet people as equals, where we are all learning from each other. The literature is a catalyst for connection which is so needed by transient and marginalised communities. For that hour when we’re stuck into a great poem or story they feel seen and heard.”
Share
Related Articles
March’s Stories and Poems
With spring on its way, the world around us is beginning to fill up with new wonders. This month, we…
In Conversation with award-winning poet Andrew McMillan on his debut novel – ‘a tale of drag queens and northern miners’ (The Times)
The author tells The Reader if his debut novel Pity - a gay love story set in Barnsley - was…
Shared Reading in the Workplace: what is it, and how can it help mitigate workplace stress?
With a third of Gen Z workers taking sick days due to stress last year the UK’s biggest Shared Reading…
