Five Leaves Publications

Book details

In the past, as in today’s world, the Romany and Traveller voice is too often silenced or distorted. Set in 1989, the poems in this pamphlet follow Mae, a Romany girl whose mother has left her. She lives in lowrise flats on a council estate, in informal kinship care.

The state refuses to recognize her grandmother’s legal right to be her guardian. Her mother can’t be found. And now, the shadow of Child Protection Services looms large. A hostile, right-wing government brands her community as outcasts and local authorities look away. Police harass their community, estate neighbours reject them. Mae’s family has to fight just to stay together.

About the Author

Maria Berry is a Romany-Irish poet and fine arts model based in Leicester. An adoptee and care-experienced adult, her work explores loss, childhood, belonging, and kinship. She is neurodivergent and affectionately describes herself as a “foster care alumna.” Maria holds an MA in Creative Writing from De Montfort University. This is her debut collection.