At Home

This is the fifth anthology published by Lautus Press, and is similar in style and feel – the other titles are Washing Lines (about washing and laundry), Strings of Pearls (about jewels and jewellery and the stories they tell), Shorelines (about beaches and beachcombing, collecting shells and pebbles) and Treelines (about trees, woods and orchards). At Home just seems to sum it up for us. Not only the sense of coming home from a day’s work and being at ease and comfortable, but also the idea of being welcoming to everyone, sitting in front of the fire or round the kitchen table, the heart of the house. So we have chosen poems to reflect these feelings of familiarity, security and friendship – and invite you to make yourself at home in these pages. Home is important to all of us, and we both came to realise just how much it means to us during lockdown. We also realise how lucky we both are to have homes that are safe and happy places, which is why we have decided to make a donation to Homeless Oxfordshire for every copy of the book that is sold. This local charity is the county’s largest not-for-profit supported accommodation provider for people experiencing homelessness and is an open door for people whose lives have been shaped by trauma; providing safety, stability, and support when it is needed most.