Swallow’s Kiss is chosen for Empathy Day 2022
Illustrator Jane Ray and myself looking on as a member of Islington Centre for Refugees sings in the community choir, celebrated in image and free verse in Swallow’s Kiss.
Since my first novel Artichoke Hearts refugee children have been central to storytelling for adults and children, because these journeys are integral to our communal story as humans whatever our age, whoever we may be and wherever we now live.
Never has it been more apparent that the stories of refugee children, displaced in our world today, is the story of finding our shared humanity.
The theme of this years’ Empathy Day on 9th June is growing ‘Empathy Superpowers.’ In Swallow’s Kiss Blessing, Hani and all children in their community are encouraged to write their wishes for and from refugee children on empathy wings.
In World Book Day 2022 events these are some of the wishes written by children in years three and four:
I send my loving wish to children in Ukraine.
I wish the world could be a kinder place.
I send my wish for Hani’s Papa to come home safe.
I wish all children could have a home.
I wish there to be no war.
…for just as birds without wing wishes cannot fly - children without the superpower of empathy; learned, grown, given and recieved… cannot fly either.
This is from our Swallow’s Kiss notebooks…written in call and response style on our way to and from the art and writing class at Islington Centre for Refugees and Migrants.
There will be centre’s like this near you… in need of support… from volunteering, donations and befriending. The Superpower of Reading for Empathy is that it is an agent of change.
Since publication by Pop Up in 2021 Swallow’s Kiss has flown into the hearts and minds of many. Its journey, inspired by the community at Islington Centre for Refugees and Migrants where Jane Ray, Ros Asquith and myself are artists and writers in residence, is a journey that celebrates the power of stories to generate hope, friendship, empathy, kindness and community cohesion.
Swallow’s Kiss is one of Pop Up’s #10storiestomakeadifference and seems determined to do so. This has been its flight path to date:
Featured in Refugee Week 2021 hosted by the National Literacy Trust and became a summer holiday story trail.
https://literacytrust.org.uk/communities/islington/wishbirds-take-flight-across-islington/
Endorsed by Amnesty UK and featured in the Amnesty Magazine.
Transformed into a play directed by Pooja Ghai (Director of Tamasha Theatre Company) as The South Bank’s welcome story for Goodchance Theatre’s Little Amal.
Returned to the South Bank for The Imagine Festival in February 2022.
Featured in NATE magazine and a Cast of Thousands
and now…
Blessing’s wishing story has been chosen as an Early reader as a Read for Empathy title among the wonderful Empathy Lab Collection this year.
