‘There have been many amazing projects to help people during the pandemic and Paperchains is one of the very best.’ Queen Camilla

An anthology of 30 stories of lockdown, from people with experience of prison, homelessness, addiction, and families of people in the armed forces.

When the history of the Covid-19 lockdowns is written, who will be the storytellers and of whose lives will they tell? Will they tell of the prisoners spending 23+ hours each day locked in a cell, inhaling and exhaling, over and over again, the same recycled air? For months on end. With no visitors? Will they tell of those addicts who were just starting to recover and rebuild, only to find themselves back on the edge? Or the people down your street who had nowhere to live, or those whose house was never really a home? What about the families of service personnel, or young people stuck at home?

These are experiences from inside the storm. From people whose stories are rarely heard. This anthology includes works of prose, poetry, drama, and art. Powerful, often irreverent, heartfelt: voices that history cannot forget. A chain of words, poetry and art that binds us all together. A chain that will survive beyond this turbulent time and stand as a testament of who we were during it.

Afterword by: Nell Leyshon
Foreword by: Stephen Kelman
Introduction by: A.G. Smith, David Kendall