Lemn will read from his new poetry collection followed by Q&A

Lemn Sissay OBE is a poet playwright, memoirist performer and broadcaster. We are thrilled to be one of the first festivals where he will present his new poetry collection, Let the Light Pour In, followed by a question-and-answer session. Lemn will stay on for a book signing afterwards.

For the past decade, Lemn Sissay has composed a short poem as dawn breaks each morning. Life-affirming, witty and full of wonder, these poems chronicle his own battle with the darkness and are fuelled with resilience and defiant joy. Let the Light Pour In is a collection of the best of these poems, and a book celebrating his morning practice.

Lemn’s poetry has won many awards.  In 2019 he was awarded The Pen Pinter Prize for his best-selling memoir My name Is Why in which he reflected on his childhood, self-expression and Britishness, and in doing so, explored the institutional care system, race, family and the meaning of home. In 2015 he brought a legal case against the government for critical mistakes in the first eighteen years of his life.

He has written and produced plays, produced television documentaries and combined music and poetry.  He is currently presenting a radio show on BBC Radio 4’s Lemn Sissay’s Social Enterprise.

Lemn was named MBE for services to literature by The Queen in 2014.  In 2021 he was named OBE for services to Literature and Charity.  He is Visiting Fellow at Jesus College Cambridge and has several honorary doctorates.  He champions education and artistic opportunities, particularly for children in care and young care leavers. He is artistic advisor to The Manchester International festival and was the Guest Director of Brighton Festival 2020 and 2021.