Valbona Bashota

Valbona Bashota a Kosovan Albanian born in Kosovo, arrived in the UK in 1994 due to the Serbian repression in Kosova. She studied psychology and journalism at City University in London gaining her degree in 2002. Her poetry was published in many Albanian newspapers, magazines and publications and she took part in various literature festivals in Kosovo. She won many prizes for poetry, achieving first prize with ‘I Am Human’ in 2004 in a poetry competition for Albanian emigrants of the world. She regularly participates in poetry festivals of Albanian women poets in Kosovo, her poetry being published in various Albanian anthologies. Her poem “Hope” in English, is being published in the anthology “Best Poets 2005” by the Poetry Society in addition to another poem entitled “Passion” which is being published in a publication called “The Spirit Within”. She works as a freelance journalist for various Albanian newspapers and magazines, and has just started her MA in Professional Writing at London Metropolitan University.