The contributions to this anthology arose from a series of workshops which were held over six months in 1996 and based at the Asylum Seekers Centre at Surry Hills, NSW. Frank Elvey, in the 'Foreword' writes: 'Brought together now in this publication these writings will help all who read them become more aware of the humanity and special needs of asylum seekers. The publication of these writings at a time when the Australian Government is pondering budget cuts and policies that will impact heavily on refugee claimants is particularly appropriate, because it keeps before our eyes the individual human lives that lie behind the stereotypes and statistics' (6).
