I told the stories of Romanian spa resorts and theater actors. Now I tell you stories of West Midlands&more.
I started writing at the age of 9. Two poetry books published in Romanian, now I work on two novels in English inspired by my family history.
Prague, Copenhagen, Berlin, Istanbul, New Orleans - I visited all of them and wondered with a heart wide open at their beauty and personality.
Written today, this poem comes as it is. It might be part of a series, it might be just a one off. If you read it all, you will understand why. the whiff of hot cocoa milk and a strange little childhood in a communist flat the whiff of hot cocoa milk two furry faces…
With an open mic or poetry performance event almost every week, local culture flourishes in the Black Country. Regulars on the local scene, poets John and Liz Mills, husband and wife, also travel the country for poetry events, workshops and festivals. Other poets in the Midlands find the couple “inspiring”. Gravity, humour and breath-taking poetry…
Photo: @Gareth Reed carbon gas dwells just a few notes above the golden tears and the village dazed by music tequila marijuana I remember the first time I heard his music that summer when I was very fat very in love with a German young man visiting with my cousin I was one step away…
At their “Breaking Bread and Boundaries” event last Saturday, Meena Centre announced the opening of a new space to support refugees and asylum seekers. The centre will open in Birmingham on June 20th. At last week’s event, refugee women shared their stories with locals from Handsworth and members of different ethnic local group. Originally from Ivory Coast, Agnes Tanoh…
As the Windrush generation scandal sweeps the political scene, Birmingham based organisations warn against migrants falling prey to scammers. Ashiana Community Project reports on solicitors tricking vulnerable people, and GP surgeries discriminating against them. Also Migrant Voice representative gives advice on how migrants should follow a safe path. Representing Migrant Voice in Birmingham, Salman Mirza explains how people can avoid being scammed on…
Anxiety, depression, burn out – all of us can experience these at certain points in our lives. New therapies like ReAttach recommend a broader approach instead of labelling patients. Speakers and specialists from the UK to India and Indonesia discussed such new ways of thinking at the first ReAttach international conference, in Eindhoven, April 2018. Specialists and practitioners today talk about the…
After nearly 3 years of unpaid freelancing journalism in Birmingham, I was looking at alternative options for my MA final project. With the scarcity of news websites or magazines to pay for my work in the area, offering my skills set to the third sector seemed the next best option. It also combines two important passions…
You know that feeling of excitement before a first date. You chatted online with somebody for a while, and you finally plan to meet them. All the expectations, and the worries, and then finally the day comes. Black Panther certainly did not make for a bad date, but for a sweet and frustrating one. It promised…
Today, in Romania we celebrate Palm Sunday, which is called Florii. Probably linked with the old pagan traditions, it means the flowers (Sunday). I myself was baptised on this day, the year I was born. And as we celebrate Easter today in the UK, with my first Easter catholic mass yesterday evening, my thoughts go back to…
With 4 years experience in working with adults with Asperger’s syndrome, I became immediately interested in Birmingham based Project Aspie. A volunteer invited me to their “Women on the Spectrum and Equalities in the Work Place” event. This took place on March 7th, at Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery. Watch Graeme Croton, founder of the charity, tell his story…
