Irki
by Kadija Sesay

A collection that brings to bear the memory of a pan-African homeland upon the reality of a British upbringing, this book unlocks stories—at times amusing and loving, at other times confusing and sad—that surround the “invisibility” of private fostering; the dislocations and negotiations of migration; and home as an imagined, remembered, and physical place. Exploring the idea of growing up black as one of the “Michael Jackson generation,” against the racially divided background of Britain in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, this poetry compilation also draws upon the poet’s travels to relate intimate childhood experiences.