Due to personal circumstances, Lemn Sissay has had to change the date of his St Martin’s Lecture to Monday 2 October at 7.00pm. Current ticket holders have been contacted about exchanging their tickets. The new date is now on sale. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.

Speakers: Lemn Sissay

Lemn Sissay, inspirational poet, performer, writer and broadcaster, explores the courage to discover one’s true identity, to speak truth to power, and what it means to celebrate your own creativity and unique poetic voice.

How to book

To book a ticket, please click the yellow “Book” button above right or below.

Lemn Sissay OBE has read on stage throughout the world, from The Library of Congress in the United States to Addis Ababa in Ethiopia, from the Opera House of Dubai to the London Palladium and finally to the heady hights of Wigan library in… Wigan.  Lemn was awarded The PEN Pinter Prize in 2019 when his memoir My Name Is Why reached number one in the Sunday Times bestseller list. In 2021 it won the Indie Book Awards non-fiction prize. Lemn is Chancellor of the University of Manchester. He is trustee of the Foundling Museum. He is artistic advisor to the Manchester International Festival and was the Guest Director of Brighton Festival 2020 and 2021. He has been writer in residence at the Southbank Centre. He was the first poet commissioned to write for the London Olympics 2012.

His television documentaries were nominated for Grierson, BAFTA and RTS awards in 2020 and 2021. His Landmark Poems in public spaces can be seen throughout Manchester and London at venues such as the Royal Festival Hall. Lemn has also worked in music for many years. In 2021 his poems were part of a concerto performed at the BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall. Lemn has written a series of published plays.

In 2015 he brought a legal case against the government for critical mistakes in the first 18 years of his life. The government settled out of court in 2018. His books of poetry are published by Canongate Books. His children’s book Don’t Ask the Dragon was published by Canongate Books in 2022.

Lemn Sissay was awarded the MBE for services to literature by the Queen in 2014 and the OBE in 2021 for services to literature and charity. He has honorary doctorates from the Universities of Huddersfield, Manchester, Brunel, Kent and Essex. He lives in London and Manchester. His story is one of courageous survival, hope, challenge, brilliant poetic imagination and transformation.

This lecture is also available as a live, in-person event. For tickets, click here. 

We want to make sure that the Autumn Lecture Series is open to all. Free places are available for each lecture, in person and online.

If you can, please consider buying a ticket for £10 for you or for someone else. Your purchase will help keep our education programme open to all.