GRAFTON — Elena Georgiou - fiction writer, poet, and director of the MFA in Creative Writing program at Goddard College - will read from her recently published book of short stories, The Immigrant's Refrigerator on Saturday, May 5, in Grafton. The reading will be followed by a discussion.
There are approximately 65 million refugees, asylum-seekers, and internally displaced people around the world. What does it mean to search for a future that will not only be a place of refuge, but also of hope? Georgiou's The Immigrant's Refrigerator plucks of few of these people out of the crowd and brings their stories to life.
Populated with a cast of characters that shine the light on what it means to be an outsider in the early part of the 21st century, these stories take the reader into the lives of those who have entered a country legally, others who were forced to enter illegally, and the rest who call a country home as a result of the geography of birth.
Aimee Liu, former president of PEN USA, writes, “Elena Georgiou's exquisite collection could not be more timely. At a moment when America's political response to 'The Other' is triggering a national crisis of conscience, these poignant stories remind us of the vital role that human compassion plays in bridging the divides.
“Inside The Immigrant's Refrigerator, the foreign and the familiar share and trade shelf space. Unspeakable sorrows and distant joys appear in the form of bacon, hummus, homemade bread. Papaya salad. Whatever the delicacy, Georgiou's secret sauce is the essential goodness of humanity.
“Citizens of Maine nourish Somali immigrants with handcrafted chocolates. A refugee from Niger comforts his grieving host in Vermont by teaching her to savor Brie. Sustenance acquires profound meaning in these tales of endurance, hope, and the abiding power of quiet generosity.”
About her work, Georgiou says, “I'm interested in looking beyond the question 'Where are you from?' to a more complicated array of questions regarding multiple migrations, invasions, post-colonial freedom, and the ability to board international flights.
“As the child of immigrants, as an immigrant myself, and as an ex-dancer, I feel as if I am an expert in the art of moving. In my writing I endeavor to choreograph what disappoints us, what uplifts us, what separates us, and what unites us, as a way to examine the ever-changing landscape of our lives.”