‘Oxford is My Home’ is a zine produced by Oxford Poetry Library and Open House which uses words and pictures to tell the hidden stories of housing and homelessness in Oxford and what it means to call this city ‘home’.
So far two issues have been printed, both through all-day zine-making sessions at Open House. Open House was a public living room and talking shop on Little Clarendon St which was open throughout 2019 as a place for anyone to gather, make friends, share stories, and find out more about housing and homelessness in Oxford.
Issue 1
On 27 April 2019, people from across the Oxfordshire community came together at Open House to create a zine in just a single day. The event was run in the spirit of Open House: offering a space and platform to have new conversations about housing and homelessness in Oxford, where labels are dropped and equality of voice is paramount. There was no hierarchical operation, and contributors simply used the materials they were surrounded by to engage with the subject. Content was produced collaboratively, through group writing exercises, shared artwork, and by using individual’s content to inspire or to be physically reworked by others in the room.
Everything collected on the day has now been published: without author, without titles, without edit. The result is eclectic, straight-forward and very personal, showcasing the rich and diverse notions of ‘home’ from a broad demographic. You’ll find poetry, art, stories, both real and fictional, as well as ideas, opinions and solutions to the challenges of housing in Oxford.
You can read it in full here:
Issue 2
In October 2019 we collaborated with Open House Oxford in their last month of opening to put together the second issue of our amazing Oxford is my Home zine. We wanted to capture and give voice to the diverse experiences of finding, building and maybe even losing a home in Oxford.
Over the space of one day, we opened up the doors of Open House and invited anyone – whether new to the city, born-and-bred, or anywhere in between – to come and share their stories of making this city their home through poetry, collage, story-telling, art, rants and raves. We then collected them all together, bound them into a little booklet, and we are now ready to share the wonderful, weird, heart-breaking, insightful, creative, and thought-provoking result with you all!
It can be read in full here:
Issue 3
As a result of the Covid-19 pandemic of 2020, our homes have been transformed. Bedrooms have become offices, living rooms have become classrooms, gardens have become gyms, and every house has become a cage of sorts.
Some people without a home have found one whilst others have been evicted, and many, many people live with the uncertainty of not being able to afford to keep theirs.
For our third issue, we wanted to know what #StayatHome looks like for you? How are you spending your days? Who are you with? Are you enjoying yourself? What are you worried about? What do you miss about being able to leave your home?
The Lockdown Edition is our collection of submissions gathered during April and May 2020. We included everything we were sent to ensure we platformed as many voices as possible, and are hugely grateful to everyone who contributed.
To read the webzine in full, click on the image below:
