We stand with Refugee Week, a UK-wide festival from 19-25 June that: "celebrates the contributions, creativity and resilience of refugees and people seeking sanctuary”. Refugee week was founded in 1998 and is held each year around Word Refugee Day on the 20 June. 

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Refugee Week say: "Through a programme of arts, cultural, sports and educational events alongside media and creative campaigns, Refugee Week enables people from different backgrounds to connect beyond labels, as well as encouraging understanding of why people are displaced, and the challenges they face when seeking safety.  Refugee Week is a platform for people who have sought safety in the UK to share their experiences, perspectives and creative work on their own terms.

Refugee Week’s vision is for refugees and asylum seekers to be able to live safely within inclusive and resilient communities, where they can continue to make a valuable contribution.

Refugee Week is an umbrella festival, and anyone can get involved by holding or joining an event or activity. Refugee Week events happen in all kinds of different spaces and range from arts festivals, exhibitions, film screenings and museum tours to football tournaments, public talks and activities in schools. Refugee Week is a partnership project coordinated and managed by Counterpoints Arts. Our national partners are listed here."

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In support of Refugee Week, we have selected a wide range of novels featuring refugees, they range in setting, both in terms of place and time. Throughout history people from all of the world have for a variety of reasons left their homes needing sanctuary. Here you can find haunting historical novels, or a stunningly powerful fantasy, while modern and contemporary fiction hammers home. All emotions are on offer, from heartbreak to humour. Do step in and allow yourself to truly feel these beautiful novels as they encourage you to connect to the word, to the feelings, to what it is to be a refugee.