Lemn Sissay

He can’t sit still, unless he’s writing. On the one hand a poem he wrote Advice For The Living was the inspiration for a concerto at The BBC Proms of 2005 by Fraiser Trainer with violin solo by acclaimed Viktoria Mullova and on the other hand one of his poems 21st century poem was included on the award winning hit album Leftism by Leftfield. He was the youngest interviewee on BBCs hit series Grumpy Old Men and performed poems on the award winning channel four educational series Scientific Eye. He’s a 21st century poet. He’s Lemn Sissay.

He writes plays too: most recently Something Dark which stopped touring after three years in Umea Sweden in February 2007 and he’s made albums with artists such as The Appolo Sax Quartet. He’s been writer in residence in places such as Cambridge Literature festival, Belfast Literature Festival, Arizona State University Southbank centre London and Contact Theatre, Manchester. He has performed everywhere from Ronnie Scots in London to The Gammage Theatre in Arizona; From Hamburg University in Germany to St Petersburg in Russia ; from Wigan Town Hall to Yaunda Cameroon; From Ruskin College in Oxford to Kings Cambridge, the list is endless and always expanding.



He has judged various literary competitions including The Arvon Poetry Prize and The John Lewellyn Rhys Prize for Fiction. And alongside Jaqueline Wilson he is in 2008 patron of The Letterbox club at The Booktrust. He is judge of The Index on cencorship competition in 2008.

Looking at the last year gives a good insight into Lemn Sissay’s World. His play Something Dark adapted for BBC Radio 3 won a Rima Award presented at The Dorchester. The stage version of the play ended its three year tour in Umea Sweden to standing ovation. In march 07 he presented a series on BBC radio four on WH Audens poem Night Mail. He wrote script for radio four called The Queen Speech as part of its From Fact to Fiction series. He writes and reads regularly for BBC Radio Fours Saturday Live.

The last year has seen him reading on stages in various countries: To name a few, Australia, America, Canada, Sweden, Italy Ireland and throughout the UK. He writes regularly, articles, for Poetry Review and occasionally for the Guardian Online. His next book Listener (working title) is out in September 2008. A new commissioned Poem is to be inlaid into sculptor in fen court by Fenchurch street station: due to be unveiled in 2008.

He is presently writer in residence at The South Bank 2007 and throughout 2008. He is commissioned for 2008 to Write the adaptation of Benjamin Zephania’s hit Novel Refugee Boy for the award winning West Yorkshire Playhouse. In January 2008 he will be British Council Writer in residence at California State University. He has just finished a commissioned poem for the thirtieth birthday of M6 Theatre company in Rochdale. Besides this he constantly reads his poetry around the country because he values the audience half as much as his work.

Lemn Sissay “loves what he does and does what he loves”. He has been a poet by profession since the age of 21 and full time since the age of 23. His concern is the work (his writing) and its quality.



You can find out more detail about Lemn Sissay at: www.lemnsissay.com

Lemn on Wikipedia

Lemn on Amazon

From award winning publishing house Canongate Books
Lemn Sissay’s new book of poems Listener will be out in Autumn 2008.

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Introduction:
Tony Benn

Singers
Rosemary Ashe
Sally Burgess
Charlie Dore
Johnnie Fiori
Fiona MacDonald
The Manchester
Lesbian & Gay Chorus
Nasrin Parvaz
Annette Reis-Dunne
Andrea Roberts
Peter Straker

Writers
Stella Duffy
Leslie Forbes
David Harsent
Ben Mellor
Shelley Silas
Lemn Sissay

Actors
Janie Dee
Sam Ellis
John Guerrasio
Loveday Smith
Will Strange
Two’s Company
Rupert Wickham
Dan Willis
Chris and Olly

Musicians
Julian Littman (MD)
Neal Thornton

Directors
London: Caroline Clegg
Nepal: Hazel Roy

Special Guests
Mende Nazer
Julie Nicholson


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Event sponsors & supporters:
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Dave Kirkwood Studio
J. S. Dutton

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