Thursday 25 July | 7pm | £10

Panel Discussion

A roundtable discussion with writers Suad Aldara, Raquel McKee, Melatu Uche Okorie and Csilla Toldy. 

Thresholds represent the physical, legal, social or psychological barriers that immigrants must overcome in pursuit of a better life or safety. Immigrants must find their place, voice and sense of belonging in a new environment despite feeling a sense of displacement, disorientation and ambiguity as they transition from their former lives, navigating to new realities, identities and ways of existing. This panel will explore the complexities, struggles and transformative experiences of immigrants and their journeys to new homes and identities.

Suad Aldarra is a Syrian Irish writer and data scientist from Dublin. Born in Riyadh to Syrian parents, after fleeing the war she lived in Egypt and USA before settling in Ireland.Her debut memoir, I Don’t Want to Talk About Home (Penguin, 2022), is a best seller.

Raquel McKee is a Caribbean born award winning writer with many talents from poetry to presenting, who lives with her family in County Antrim.A multitalented artist with a passion for justice, she performs Caribbean Dub poetry at many festivals and events throughout Ireland.

Melatu Uche Okorie is a Nigerian Irish writer and a scholar. Born in Nigeria, in 2006 she came to Ireland seeking asylum. This Hostel Life, her collection of short stories, explores the experiences of women migrants in direct provision in a hidden Ireland.

Csilla Toldy is a writer, poetry filmmaker and translator who fled communist Hungary for a ‘free’ life in the West and now lives in Northern Ireland. She has published three books of poetry. Her debut novel, Bed Table Door (Wrecking Ball, 2023) received the Desmond Elliot Prize.