What is Not From Here
Every year, millions of people leave the place they once called home. Some leave by choice. Some do not. Some leave once. Some leave repeatedly. Yet we rarely ask what it means to leave.
Not From Here is an ongoing, curated project gathering anonymous stories of departure — moments of migration, exile, relocation, reinvention, and sometimes, return.
What this can become
POTENTIAL #1
COLLECTING STORIES OF leaving. RESHAPING THE narrative OF MIGRATION.
Your contribution
YOUR STORY MAKES A DIFFERENCE
By sharing your experience, you help build a collective record of what it truly means to leave, adding nuance, honesty, and lived knowledge to conversations too often shaped by statistics. Your voice becomes part of a growing archive that challenges simplified narratives and strengthens public understanding of migration.
How stories are collected
For now, stories can be submitted in English. In the future, we hope to expand into a multilingual archive. You may include both your original language and an English translation if you wish.
If you have left a country, a city, or a culture, you are invited to share your experience. Your story can be short or long. There is no right way to tell it.