AS AN asylum seeker on Christmas Island, Hani Aden had nothing but time.
She spent the endless days in detention writing down her experiences and thoughts through poems and prose.
On Sunday, October 11, the Oatley resident will share her work at the Sydney Opera House as part of the World Travels' Story Fest.
She will be joined by Rockdale's Kaveh Arya, originally of Iran, who will also speak at the event.
Ms Aden, 19, left Somalia two years ago to flee the violence erupting in her country, leaving behind her family.
She travelled to Malaysia and Indonesia before arriving in Australia by boat.
She was taken to Christmas Island where she spent 13 months in detention.
She said writing helped her get through the months of waiting.
"I found writing gave me an outlet," she said.
"I was on my own without my parents and it was hard.
"Living in Somalia I've never stayed in one place but on Christmas Island I was finally settled.
"I was sitting down with nothing to do so I started writing.
"It was a horrible experience but it did make me a stronger person."
She hopes her writing will give people a better understanding of what life is like for an asylum seeker.
"People assume that all asylum seekers are bad people," she said.
"But I want people to see what I've done."
In addition to speaking at the World Travels' Story Fest, Ms Aden also runs The Arrivalists, a weekly poetry night in Newtown.
She will publish her first poetry book later this year.
"Yesterday I had no hope and now I see how far I've come," she said.
"I really can't believe it."
THROUGH THE FENCE
Hani Aden, Yarrie Bangoura and Kaveh Arya are members of asylum seeker writing group Writing Through Fences.
The three writers fled their countries to come to Australia and will tell audiences how they traversed incredible circumstances and found the greatest liberation through their own creativity.
