Hundreds of poems and written works by Huddersfield’s homeless and some of the town’s most vulnerable people have been put together in a special anthology.
‘Sharing Shoes’ is a compilation of works by users of the Huddersfield Mission cafe .
It has been compiled by poets John Duffy and Stephanie Bowgett from the Albert, which has a group of poets who regularly meet up at the Victoria Lane pub, but they also run poetry and writing workshops at the Mission.
The poems have been written over the last several years by people who use the cafe for advice, shelter and company, but they have now been published for the first time.
John said: “This is a collection of voices that want to be heard and read.
“Writing our stories down makes us choose our words differently, and that can show other people something new and interesting.”
Stephanie added: “There are poems here about childhood memories, stealing a smile, eating prawns, love, good dates and bad dates, being in work, losing work, Huddersfield streets, wet feet - struggles with depression, the bedroom tax and mistakes which can not be undone.”
The work has been overseen by the Mission’s Advice and Activities Officer, Samuel Moss, said the book is important “because the Mission wants to provide a voice for the voiceless, a space where people can share words and ideas and the pleasures of writing and reading too.”
The book will be on sale from the Mission, priced £5.
