'Don't worry, I'm here in the house where every room has a name, but children's names are often forgotten'
Heart-breaking yet uplifting, this lyrical evocation of an Anglo-Romani childhood on the edge of society marks the arrival of a vital new voice.
MINX draws us into the vibrant but precarious world of a multi-racial Romani family, whose troubled mother struggles to support her two girls on the proceeds of her shadowy nighttime work. The sisters develop a powerful bond, which helps them survive once they're taken into care, under the punishing regime of a children's home that separates them.
Through a series of daring experiments with form and narrative, MINX captures how it feels to be caught between a culture whose traditional ways are being lost and a wider society that despises them. With a verve and playfulness that belies their pain, these poems explore what it means to belong: the search for a language and heritage erratically passed on and the cost of being forcibly assimilated.
'Don't worry, I'm here in the house where every room has a name, but children's names are often forgotten.'Uplifting and heart-breaking, this lyrical evocation of a childhood on the edge of society marks the arrival of a vital new voice. MINX reveals the vibrant but precarious world of a multi-racial Romani family: a world of grandfathers brewing moonshine in marrows, basement reggae parties, and a mother struggling to support her two daughters on the proceeds of her shadowy profession. Their powerful bond helps the sisters survive when they're taken into care, in a children's home that forcibly separates them. With a verve and playfulness that belies their pain, these poems explore what it means to belong. Through daring experiments with form and narrative, MINX captures how it feels to grow up between a culture whose traditional ways are being lost and a wider society that despises them.
