Norfolk is a multicultural county, and has long been a place of welcome and sanctuary for newly arrived communities.
To celebrate and champion this, we have been working with Norfolk Library and Information Service on a multi-lingual poetry exchange, which began with two newly commissioned poems by internationally acclaimed writers.
Redisover our Words of Welcome poems!
Missed it the first time? Read and listen to the two powerful new poems by acclaimed poets George Szirtes and Marjorie Lotfi, exploring the themes of welcome and sanctuary. Revisit our celebration of Norfolk’s multiculturalism, created in partnership with the National Centre for Writing and the International UNESCO City of Literature Network.
A glimpse of what’s ahead…
The commissioned poems were shared in all six languages across Norfolk’s 47 library spaces and mobile routes. Community members and library users were invited to respond with their own Words of Welcome, in a language of their choice.
Stand by for a county-wide sharing of all the received works later in the year, but for now, here is a taster of the fantastic response:
The tides and the fields, a symphony grand
Norfolk’s green arms, the sea’s golden sand.
In Norwich, bright streets hum with stories to share
A city alive, full of welcome and care
At the heart of it all, where new journeys begin
The library’s doors invite you in.
Welcome, by Donna Holmes – Library Staff, Taverham Library
A new leaf uncurls,
Branches reach out.
Open heart,
Open arms,
You’re welcome.
Anonymous, submitted at Gorleston Library
We can sit round the same table
as complete strangers
share food and stories,
cry and laugh
tell each other our stories
how we ended up here.
We can give each other gifts
of compassion and time.
Anonymous, submitted at Costessey Library.
Don’t miss…
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International Welcome Cloth of Kindness Quilt Display
Head over to Diss Library (4th–13th June) or the Millennium Library, Norwich (16th–30th June) to view a beautiful textile artwork featuring embroidered patches created by participants from Diss Library’s International Welcome sessions and local residents, in collaboration with Cloth of Kindness.
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