Reaching Mithymna

In the fall of 2015, Steven Heighton made an overnight decision to travel to the frontlines of the Syrian refugee crisis in Greece and enlist as a volunteer. He arrived on the isle of Lesvos with a duffel bag and a dubious grasp of Greek, his mother's native tongue, and worked on the landing beaches and in OXY a jerrybuilt, ad hoc transit camp providing simple meals, dry clothes, and a brief rest to refugees after their crossing from Turkey. In a town deserted by the tourists that had been its lifeblood, Heightonalongside the exhausted locals and under-equipped international aid workers found himself thrown into emergency roles for which he was woefully unqualified.

From the brief reprieves of volunteer-refugee soccer matches to the riots of Camp Moria,Reaching Mithymnais a firsthand account of the crisis and an engaged exploration of the borders that divide us and the ties that bind. (From Biblioasis)

Steven Heightonis a novelist, short story writer and poet from Toronto. His other books include the poetry collectionTheWaking Comes Late,which won the 2016 Governor General's Literary Award for poetry, and the novelTheNightingale Won't Let You Sleep.

Reaching Mithymnawas on theshortlist for the Hilary Weston Writers' Trust Prize for Nonfiction.

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From the book

Interviews with Steven Heighton

Other books by Steven Heighton