My Name Is Why – In Conversation with Lemn Sissay

03 Sep 2019

In a free event for University of Manchester staff and students, Lemn Sissay MBE will read from his new memoir, My Name Is Why.

Lemn Sissay’s My Name Is Why tells his life story: one of neglect and determination, misfortune and hope, cruelty and triumph. Written with all the lyricism and power you would expect from one of the nation’s best-loved poets, the memoir has received rich critical acclaim, with The Guardian branding it “searing and unforgettable”.

In an exciting event at Blackwell’s Bookshop (Oxford Road) on the 27 September, Lemn will perform readings from My Name Is Why, reflecting on a childhood in care, self-expression and Britishness. Lemn will also feature in conversation with Ellah Wakatama Allfrey OBE, Editor-at-Large at Canongate Books and Senior Research Fellow at The University of Manchester's Centre for New Writing. Expect illuminating explorations of the institutional care system, race, family and the meaning of home.

Presented in partnership with the Centre for New Writing and Creative Manchester, this is a free event open to all staff and students from The University of Manchester. If you would like to attend, please register via Eventbrite. Places will be allocated on a first come first served basis.

• Lemn Sissay MBE is a poet, playwright and broadcaster. He has read poetry all over the world and was awarded an MBE for services to literature. He was the first poet commissioned to write for the London Olympics. He is a regular contributor to radio and TV and a prolific speaker, inspiring audiences on a daily basis across the globe.