Soft Side of Red

In her debut poetry collection Christine Shamista reflects on her experiences living in Sri Lanka, England and Australia as part of the Sri Lankan Tamil diaspora. Shamista’s poems reveal layers of the self through her journey leaving her ancestral home in the time of a civil war and living in and between England and Australia.

Her poetry recounts experiences of racism — casual and systemic — and her discovering delight and pride in race and identity despite these experiences.