A University of Winchester student from Romania has put together an anthology of writing about home and belonging by fellow international students.
'Home | Away' edited by Georgiana Lopata, 23, is now available online.
The collection - which includes, fiction, poetry, reminiscences, think pieces and photography – came about as part of ‘The Writer and the Community’ module in Georgiana’s Master’s course in Creative Writing.
“I thought - what could I create as a contribution to the community that would also benefit the people involved and leave them feeling they had achieved something,” said Georgiana.
She put out a call for students to attend workshops where they reflected on what and where home was for them and how they coped with living in a foreign country.
Out of the workshops came a variety of contributions from students from the US, Canada, Bulgaria, Madeira, Tanzania and Romania.
TJ Cordes writes: “In some ways, the United Kingdom isn’t too different from homeland Minnesota. The wind is constantly blowing, there is plenty of fried food around and most important for my purposes, there are always apples available.”
He then goes onto say why you should eat your apples in the shower!
In the poem “Thoughts Before Moving” A H-M writes about the dilemma of moving home.
How can I leave knowing everything I’ve ever known
Is behind;
How can stay knowing everything I’ve ever dreamed of
Is ahead?
“I have really enjoyed the editing process,” said Georgiana (pictured). “I had a great response and was very impressed by the quality of submissions.
“Some of the contributors have ever seen their name and work in print – I hope they keep on writing.”
Georgiana, who completed a BA in Creative Writing and English Literature at Winchester prior to her Master’s, has been in the UK for five years but often thinks of her homeland. Her own contribution, Wildheart, up is about a girl growing up in Transylvania.
Romania is also the setting for a novel, a mystery thriller set in a university, which she is writing for her dissertation.
Judith Heneghan, module tutor and programme leader for the MA Creative Writing, said: “The Writer and the Community module encourages students to engage with a community of their choice and produce creative writing that reflects and showcases that community. Georgiana's anthology brings people together and celebrates the power of words. It is a wonderful example of a community-focused project with benefits for all concerned.”
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