Truth unseen

Too often, the stories we are told about our history and our place in the world are incomplete, inaccurate, or even fabricated, perpetuating a cycle of prejudice, ignorance and injustice. At the heart of Welcome to Britain: An Anthology of Poems and Short Fiction is recognition that the myths and fictions Britain likes to tell about itself need to be contested and subverted.

By providing space for writers to offer — and for readers to encounter — counter-narratives, this anthology, among other things, draws attention to how Britain’s history is inextricably linked to the global system of white supremacy, colonialism, slavery, and exploitation that has been in place over the past 500 years.

In addition to offering accounts of daily life in Britain, and featuring contributions from emerging and established writers from around the world, the anthology manifests the hope that through the power of poetry and creative writing, we can cultivate empathy and envision and bring about a more just world.

Nina's contribution to this anthology is an autocritical, creative response to longstanding societal assumptions of loss and grief associated with being a mother of children with physical and language impairments. Nina offers a counter-narrative that reflects her lived experiences as a mother, draws attention to Britain's history of ableism, and increased understandings of disability gain related to the field of Disability Studies.