About the Author

Lemn Sissay is an award-winning writer and popular broadcaster as well as being the author of five poetry books. He was made an Honorary Doctor of Letters by the University of Huddersfield and the University of Manchester. He was awarded an MBE by the Queen for services to literature. He was the official poet for the London 2012 Olympics. He has worked throughout the world and is patron of the Letterbox Club, supporting children in care. His work in the Arctic has featured at the Royal Academy and in galleries throughout the world. His Landmark poems can be found in London, Manchester, Huddersfield and Addis Ababa. In 2015 he was appointed Chancellor of the University of Manchester. He is British and Ethiopian.

Reviews

His poems are the songs of the street, declamatory, imaginative, hard-hitting: about mothers, supermarkets, dreams of Africa, getting picked up by police for being black... mocking the limitations of the mocker -- Ruth Padel Independent on Sunday * He's a lyrical genius that's causing a storm across the country. The Voice * Striking style... One high point of his collection is 'Love Poem' - possibly the most poignant eleven words ever written. Buzz * Fierce, funny, serious, satirical, streetwise and tender The Big Issue