My Name Is Why

Guest Director Lemn Sissay reflects on a childhood in foster care, self-expression and Britishness as he discusses his memoir My Name Is Why with Hannah Azieb Pool.

Sissay's memoir is infused with all the lyricism and power you would expect from one of the nation’s best-loved poets, and explores the institutional care system, race, family and the meaning of home.

This moving, frank and timely book is the result of a life spent asking questions, and a celebration of the redemptive power of creativity.

Lemn Sissay is a poet, playwright and broadcaster. He has read poetry all over the world and was awarded an MBE for services to literature. He is the Chancellor of the University of Manchester and 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.

Eritrean born Hannah Azieb Pool is Artistic Director and CEO of the Bernie Grant Arts Centre. She has written for many international publications including The Guardian, The Times, Stylist and Vogue Magazine UK, and is the author of Fashion Cities Africa and My Fathers’ Daughter.