Tanya Burr’s Chapter hosts Read for Refugees

Last November, UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Tanya Burr hosted Chapter’s first ever Read for Refugees, bringing together book lovers, stories and refugee voices in support of UK for UNHCR.

The event celebrated the power of storytelling to build empathy, challenge perceptions and show solidarity with people forced to flee their homes.

From poetry to conversation, it was a morning rooted in the simple idea that stories can change how we see the world, and each other.

For Tanya, books have always been a way of understanding lives beyond our own, allowing us to step into someone else’s story and truly listen.

Bringing people together to read, reflect and connect felt like a meaningful way to support refugees, whose experiences are so often misunderstood or overlooked.

Through Read for Refugees, Tanya wanted to create a space that felt thoughtful, welcoming and purposeful, where people could connect not only through books, but through shared humanity.

UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Tanya Burr at Chapter’s first ever Read for Refugees.

During the event, guests heard directly from refugees living in the UK, whose words brought honesty, depth and hope to the room.

A thoughtfully curated selection of books exploring displacement, identity and belonging, generously donated by Vintage Books, invited guests to reflect on the many ways storytelling helps us understand migration, loss and resilience.

By creating space for refugee voices and meaningful conversation, Read for Refugees offered a powerful reminder that behind every headline is a human story.

UK for UNHCR Storyteller Teem spoke about the importance of shifting perceptions around asylum-seekers, from seeing refugees only through crisis, to recognising the skills, creativity and determination they bring.

The morning also made space for poetry, a reminder that sometimes emotion reaches us more powerfully through words than through facts alone.

UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Maya Ghazal, read ‘Refuge’ by JJ Bola, a moving poem that explores loss, belonging and the search for safety, grounding the room in reflection and shared feeling.

Later, Teem shared an original poem written especially for the event, a poem about the threads that shaped his life, the people that held him together, and the way storytelling connects us.

Threads That Hold Me, by Teem

My story is a thread
I carry through every moment.
When I share it,
it stitches my life
to someone else’s,
and suddenly we understand each other.
That is the quiet power of storytelling—
it turns strangers
into people who feel with you.

My parents kept my thread from snapping.
Their courage held the fabric of me together
even when I felt torn and worn thin.
I sew their strength
into every choice I make.

There were months
when I had no place to stay—
nights spent searching
for any couch, any corner,
just to close my eyes.
But even then,
I learned that a thread pulled tight
can grow strong enough
to hold a whole life together.
And I did.

And in those darkest times,
my friends’ kindness
became the softest quilt around me.
They lifted me
when I felt I had no shape left,
asking for nothing in return.
I keep their love
woven deep in my seams.

There is the home I grew up in—
the one that formed my first pattern.
And there is the home
I have stitched for myself now—
made from courage,
from kindness,
from every thread I refused to let go.

So when I tell my story,
I show the frayed edges,
the patched corners,
the places I’m still mending.
And you meet me
with gentler eyes.

Because my story, when spoken,
threads its way into your hands—
and suddenly you feel the weight I carried,
not as a stranger’s burden,
but as something
we hold together

Read for Refugees was more than a morning of readings, it was a collective act of solidarity.

Teem shared: “This event feels deeply important to me because it’s an opportunity to raise awareness about the experiences of people seeking asylum. Many of us come here with the hope of safety, dignity, and the chance to contribute and thrive in our lives and careers. I want to help shift the perception around asylum seekers – showing that we’re not just seeking refuge, but also bringing talent, resilience, and a strong desire to be part of a community. This event allows me to share that message and advocate for understanding and meaningful change.”

All proceeds from the event will go towards UK for UNHCR’s work, helping people forced to flee access safety, protection and support to rebuild their lives.

Events like Read for Refugees show how creativity, compassion and community can come together to create real impact.

By supporting UK for UNHCR, you can help ensure that people forced to flee are not only protected, but heard.