Jo Allmon and & Joy Thomas met when they were invited to be part of a panel at the Hawkesbury Upton Literary Festival 2016. The panel was discussing writing about 'Difference'. It wasn't until they made contact after the Festival, through social media, they realised just how much they had in common, and arranged to meet for a chat. One thing they discovered was they both had used verse to help them cope with the situations they found themselves in. Assessments, disability, red tape, anger and frustration. The similarity soon became obvious through their writing. This is where the idea behind Silent Voices was born. A way of helping those who perhaps too often remain silent, but who want and need to be heard.