Loughborough poets publish lockdown-inspired zine

A group of Loughborough-based women who wrote poems to help them get through the lockdowns have published a zine of their work. Songbirds and Sirens, a collection of 11 poems, will be launched at a free event at All Saints Parish Church, Loughborough on Saturday 25th September, 4pm-7pm.

The group, Real Hopeful, each began writing poems separately during the lockdowns before coming together (virtually, initially!) to work on the zine. The poems are accompanied by images from two local illustrators who also contributed poems to the zine.
  
Songbirds and Sirens will be available for sale at the launch event and the Good News Christian Bookshop on Baxtergate in Loughborough. It can also be mail ordered via the group’s Facebook page. At least 10% of profits from the sale of the zine will go to Unicef’s #DonateDosesNow campaign.

Laura Baines, who edited the collection, as well as contributing her own poems, said: "We are a group of women who got through the toughest parts of lockdown by putting our thoughts onto paper in the form of poetry. With beautiful illustrations to accompany them, Songbirds and Sirens captures a time and place in our town’s history and, indeed, our world’s history."
 
Caroline Harmon, who also wrote poems included in the zine, said: "It was fantastic to discover I wasn’t the only person in Loughborough taking pen to paper in 2020. It’s been really inspiring to work with other local women who have responded to this time with poems."
   
Michelle Barnett, who contributed illustrations and poems to the zine, said: "It was wonderful to work together on this project after so much time apart, finding ways to mark this experience that are really beautiful and meaningful."

For any further information, please contact Caroline Harmon at carolineharmon@live.co.uk