26 June 2009 - Yvette Hawkins - Reader in Residence

I'm on an epic journey to South Korea (my other country) a place I haven't been to for twenty four years.

Aptly enough my holiday companion includes a book of short stories about travelling. Spokes by Janna Eliot presents a number of stories from the travelling world, specifically that of Romani Gypsy Travellers and though there are many aspects that are completely different from the childhood I had (no Vardo wagons or pretty glittery things) it's been really interesting to discover the hidden lives of a community, whose ideals weren't too different from my own family. These true stories explore what can and cannot be revealed about a past painted with notions of outcast settlements, many of which, have faced conflict or been discriminated against, because of the way they have chosen to live their lives. Many of the stories show the ways these characters have tried to hide their pasts, believing that to conform to society, they must re-invent themselves and become something new and unused. Other stories depict people exploring their histories, revealing forgotten sides of their spiritualities. There are tales of Asylum Seekers rebuilding their lives, trying to find new found motivations to overcome the tragedies they have faced in their home countries and stories of traveller movements trying to raise the profile and improve the representation of the Gypsy communities within the UK.

The story that stood out for me was 'A Vardo in the British Museum' which was told from the perspective of an ambitious British Museum Officer, trying to impress his boss, by discovering and developing an unusual and rare exhibition that ticks all of the 'engaging with ethnic minorities' boxes. On doing so he comes across a social enterprise called Artists Without Frontiers who appear to stop at nothing until a Vardo Wagon has been exhibited in the British Museum. Filled with the stereotypes that comes with limited knowledge of Gypsy travellers, the officer is hoping for recognition for such a find, but in return gets a little surprise in its place. This book has been the perfect travelling companion in a country that has been nothing but fantastical. I urge you to read this as much as I urge you to visit South Korea, both have given me great insights into different ways of living, travelling and all the things that come with originating from afar.