Sri Lanka has a history of war crimes, assassinations of activists and journalists, subjugation of minorities, the 2004 tsunami and its aftermath, and a legacy of governmental corruption that has led the country into economic and social crisis.

Now three poets from diverse backgrounds - Vidyan Ravinthiran, Shash Trevett and Seni Seneviratne - have put together a poetry anthology, Out of Sri Lanka, the first anthology of Sri Lankan and diasporic poetry, which features over 300 poems written in English, or translated from Tamil and Sinhala. It was published by Bloodaxe this month, and will be launched in July at Newcastle University. It has a Poetry Book Society special commendation.