and the thing is

Maggie Harris' and the thing is is a poem about immigration, and questions about race, exile, and how we find identity and home. It takes us from Brixton, to the Welsh Valleys, Madeira, the Ivory Coast, and Edinburgh, and finally to Kent, where ‘broken families are walking out of the sea’.

A powerful and moving poem, written with humour and a light touch, by Maggie, who was born in Guyana and lives in Thanet, and the thing is won the national Poetry Wales 2020 Award.

A printed version of and the thing is is available in cafes around Margate through Estuary 2021, and there is a recording of Maggie reading the poem available online.