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BOOK CLUB

West London Welcome opened the door to refugees and asylum seekers in 2018 and since then, novelist and poet, Catherine Temma Davidson, and me have run a weekly Book Club, and, despite lockdowns and various restrictions, we’ve managed to continue sharing our love of the written word.

Countless stories, non-fiction, poems, myths and legends by the likes of Rumi, Dickens, Elif Shafak, Andrea Levy and many more brilliant and not so well-known writers, have been read, talked about and poured over. Single pages, long chapters, short and difficult texts have led to surprising conversations and unusual word daisy chains. We revel in each other’s laughter and together mope and mooch, reconnect and hug away the occasional tear.

Memories from the subterranean recesses of the heart and mind can start something new in the imagination. Buried grief, trauma, incomparable experiences and things hard to deal with far from this world are difficult to see beyond. These harsh currents stalk our members and hover close, but we never ask personal questions because there is no need to dig for stories to sink into, understand and appreciate.

Catherine and I work together easily and share whatever writer has come to mind that week. We bring print outs and whoever wants to read takes a turn. Having two of us means if one is unavailable the session continues and members, who change regularly, come and go depending on various circumstances such as sudden removal.

We never know exactly who will turn up, and often one and a half hours isn’t enough time to read, answer questions, discuss or finish noting. We write alongside the group and sometimes ideas are expanded at home (a barren or crowded room, not a luxury hotel as myth dictates) and presented later. No one slips into the background. Everyone’s writing is celebrated, and we’ve seen some fantastic work. Catherine has been carefully drawing out meaning from a budding professional poet who recently performed his work at a local library. We have a keen blind member who quoted from one of the books after an audible version was found which allowed his pleasure to deepen. We listen to his spoken recordings when played back on his phone.

There is a spontaneous freshness to the writing. When detailing their first experience of London, each mentioned the incredible warmth, physical and emotional help, great classes and tasty food provided by West London Welcome. It was a revelation to hear how much they love our multicultural city and people. However, the strange weather is a recurring topic.

We’ve learnt an enormous amount from people of every age and culture, but the squalor of the governmental response that pervades every attempt to deal with tragedy, heartbreak and emptiness, never fails to shock. The reminder to keep going is the result of the politeness, gratitude and humour shown by our bookish members and all the wonderful people at the centre. Now that’s something that can’t be reformed, dispatched, restricted or denied.





© Anna Perera 2025