Lemn Sissay

Lemn Sissay – Life, Work & Meaningful Voices

Delve into the inspiring life of Lemn Sissay (born 1967), the British poet, broadcaster, memoirist, and champion of children in care. Explore his biography, major works, and memorable quotes.

Introduction

Lemn Sissay OBE FRSL (born 21 May 1967) is a British poet, playwright, broadcaster, memoirist, and public speaker whose work has become deeply entwined with themes of identity, belonging, trauma, and resilience.

His writing often reflects his own life story—growing up in the care system, searching for roots, and piecing together identity—and yet speaks to universal experiences of human connection, memory, and self-discovery.

Early Life and Family

Lemn Sissay was born in Billinge Hospital, Wigan, Lancashire, England, in 1967, to an Ethiopian mother, Yemarshet Sissay, who had relocated to the UK. Giddey Estifanos, was reportedly a pilot for Ethiopian Airlines and died in a plane crash in 1972.

Shortly after his birth, Sissay was placed into foster care by social services under the name Norman Greenwood.

By age 12, his foster parents returned him to social care; between ages 12 and 17 he lived in multiple children’s homes—four in total—experiencing instability, systemic neglect, and a sense of erasure.

At age 17, he was given his birth certificate and learned his real name, Lemn Sissay, and also received a letter from his mother begging for his return.

He later located his mother (who had been working for the UN in The Gambia) when he was in his early 20s, though their reunion was not without emotional complexities.

Education & Early Literary Path

Sissay left formal schooling early: he left school at age 15 with minimal qualifications (one GCSE and two CSEs). Perceptions of the Pen using his unemployment benefit, and sold it to striking miners in Lancashire.

By age 19, he was involved with Commonword, a community publishing cooperative in Manchester, working in literature development.

Career, Works & Achievements

Poetry, Plays & Prose

Sissay’s literary output is diverse—poetry collections, plays, memoirs, adaptations, and public performances.

Notable works include:

• Poetry volumes such as Rebel Without Applause (1992) and Listener (2008)

• Memoir My Name Is Why (2019), recounting his life in care and search for identity

• Something Dark, a play based on his childhood and identity quest

• Adaptation of Refugee Boy for the stage

• Let the Light Pour In (2023), a collection of poems written at dawn, chronicling struggle and awakening.

He has performed his poetry internationally—from the U.S. Library of Congress to universities and arts festivals around the world.

Roles & Honors

• Official Olympics poet for London 2012

• Chancellor of the University of Manchester (2015–2022)

• Trustee and fellow at the Foundling Museum

• Awarded PEN Pinter Prize (2019) for unwavering literary truth

• Appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2021 for services to literature and charity

• Elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 2022

He has also brought legal action against Wigan social services over his experiences in care, which was settled with a formal apology in 2018.

He is a vocal advocate for reform in children’s social care, using his public platform to highlight the voices of care leavers.

Themes, Style & Impact

Sissay’s writing is often deeply personal, blending poetic lyricism with documentary urgency. His major thematic concerns include:

• Identity and belonging: Searching for roots, reclaiming names, exploring heritage

• Memory and erasure: How growing up in care affects one’s narrative and sense of self

• Voice and visibility: Using language to assert existence in systems that try to render one invisible

• Resilience and hope: Despite trauma, finding nourishment in art, connection, and purpose

His style is direct, evocative, and emotionally charged, frequently addressing audience ears and hearts in live performance. He bridges poetry with theatre, memoir, and activism, making his voice influential both in artistic and social spheres.

His public work has helped bring attention to care systems, social justice, and the importance of giving voice to those marginalized by institutional neglect.

Selected Quotes

Here are some memorable and representative quotes by Lemn Sissay:

• “I have spent most of my adult life proving that I existed.”

• “A blog is neither a diary nor a journal … it is neither but includes elements of both.”

• “Dysfunction is a true reaction to untruth.”

• “My foster parents were very religious. They told me that they had not decided to take me in, rather that it was God that had decided it for them.”

• From My Name Is Why: “Memories in care are slippery because there’s no one to recall them with … How could it matter if no one recalls it?”

• “When somebody takes a child from their native culture, that is in itself an act of aggression.”

These lines highlight his wrestle with existence, memory, identity, and reclaiming agency through language.

Lessons from Lemn Sissay’s Journey

Lemn Sissay’s life and work offer powerful lessons for both creative practitioners and anyone facing adversity:

1. Turn pain into art: He transformed deep personal wounds into public art, not as therapy only, but as a means of inviting dialogue and change.

2. Speak to the unseen: He gives voice to those often silenced—those in care, marginalized communities, and histories erased.

3. Persist in finding truth: His years-long effort to reclaim his name and story show that identity is not always given; it can be reclaimed.

4. Use platform for advocacy: He leverages literary acclaim not just for acclaim, but to influence policy, social care reform, and public awareness.

5. Integration of forms: His versatility—poet, playwright, memoirist, broadcaster—shows how creative expression can cross genres to amplify impact.

Conclusion

Lemn Sissay’s life is a testament to the power of language to heal, resist, and assert dignity. Emerging from a childhood spent in care and anonymity, he carved a place where his voice could resonate widely—across literary stages, university halls, public media, and social advocacy.

His story reminds us that identity is not merely inherited, but can be shaped, reclaimed, declared, and shared. If you want, I can also provide a full list of his published works or analyze one of his poems deeply. Would you like me to do that?