From there, he was moved from one home to another, usually the only black kid wherever he was resident. Good luck, Your email address will not be published. Dating & Relationship status He is currently single. Thank you for integrating your poetry throughout the book. Im so glad you managed to find your mother. [3] The events are depicted in the play Something Dark and in BBC documentary Internal Flight. Open. He has never married, and has no children. I am an Ethiopian living in the U.K. for the moment and I just heard about your story from another fellow Ethiopian. Your comments are greatly appreciated. She is nicky@dontpanicprojects.com . Google "Lemn Sissay" and all the hits will be about him. I wish you a long, fulfilling, and warm life. your story. Your smile , which can light up any room and many hearts ,was greatly appreciated by all who met you..what a special gift you have. In 2007, Sissay was appointed artist-in-residence at London's Southbank Centre. Your life experiences and the way you turned your adversities into strength is aptly summed in a Yoruba proverb that says Adaniloro fagbara koni meaning those who treat us with wickedness strengthens us. Stuff that I like. I also know all of us will be hurt is well. "[citation needed], In June 2015, Sissay was elected as chancellor of the University of Manchester for a seven-year term[17] by university staff, registered alumni and members of the General Assembly. I listened about story on the radio in Addis Ababa. Just today I have been stopped on the streets by two Ethiopians in West London. .just wondering what you felt the moment you saw her picture for the first time. Christmas, says the poetLemn Sissay, divides the world into two sorts of people. When Sissay was 12 years old, his foster parentswho, by then, had three biological children of their ownplaced him in a children's home and said no one from their family would contact him again. Sissay has also set up the foundation Gold from the Stone, which is dedicated with helping children who have left the care system. As the UK went into lockdown, he tells me: She called me just to make sure I was OK which I really loved., Theres an exuberant warmth to Sissay, which can be found in his poetry. And Queen VIctoria and the little Etheopian Prince.. He was awarded the 2019 PEN Pinter Prize. Unsurprisingly, Sissay says he clearly remembers that day in 1988 when he first spoke to his mother. Thank you for your story and your works and for just being who you are. [21], In April 2017, Sissay joined the Foundling Museum's board of trustees. !Thank you. Your truths are enlightening. I get so irritated when I hear people saying to children in care: Why dont you become a social worker when you grow up, so you can change things? How little imagination do these people have? I saw your baby picture..what drives people to be so careless with children and see themselves, their own selves righteous in the the eyes of God. She had fled there from Ethiopia working for the UN and never returned to Ethiopia. The trauma has had a long-lasting impact on his adult life: there have been bouts of depression, a difficulty in forming long-term relationships, 20-plus years of therapy. It is scandalous that a prime minister should have to admit, as David Cameron did last autumn, that the care system 'shames our country' and that Ofsted should report that there are more councils judged as 'inadequate' than 'good' for their childrens services." All the best, I extend my hands across the ocean from Santiago, Chile. From the programme I believe you have the capacity to be a wonderful partner to someone. LEMN SISSAY MBE is a BAFTA nominated International prize winning writer. If so I would like to arrange it. I often tell him off and hes always saying: Sorry, Val! He started smoking when he was 11 and I am told that he has recently stopped. Do you know the worst thing they said to me, the people who were in charge, when I was in care? This good fortune shaped my future, perhaps also it blocked some other futures, and that seems all right at the moment. In 2014 Sissay was appointed as a Fellow of the Foundling Museum. But she couldnt, so it sort of broke down, and I walked her to the bus stop. His mother, fearing that she did not have the necessary resources to care for him, gave Sissay as a baby to social services with the intent of taking him back once she was able to care for her child. But it seems that pain and aloneness led to the beautiful, generous, intuitive being you are. She was pregnant with her son Lemn, who would go on in later life to become a playwright, broadcaster, writer and speaker. So rather than feeling confused, when I received my name, it was proof that something had gone wrong. And while he is not sure whether he would count much of his lifes work as achievements, there is one thing he is incredibly proud of. Dear Lemn Sisay you exhibit. [15][11] In 2014 Sissay was appointed as a Fellow of the Foundling Museum.[16]. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); One Extraordinary Woman in My World Now: Yemarshet Sissay. I hope you telling your story makes a difference I truly do, but honestly I think that area of work is riddled with righteous people. But so you should, and so we all should be able to. When youre in care youre acutely aware of how youre not love or pleasure for anyone youre an obligation. He is considering a follow-up to My Name Is Why that he says will be as dramatic as the book telling the first 18 years of his life. Her name is Yemarshet Sissay. It feels an incredibly risky time, he says. Hello Lemn, I just ordered your book My Name is Why and cant wait for it to arrive as I have read your initial story which brought me to tears I have lived a similar story and its made me tough (too tough) and I NEVER cry after reading just your initial story I sobbed for a while and realise now how cathartic it can be. But Sissays fight was long from over. But what dignity, what courage, what irrepressability (if theres such a word!) Hes talked before about a later meeting, but this first reunion, on Londons South Bank, he hasnt discussed. I went to Foster Parents who loved me very much!! ', which isn't a natural line for any human being to say.". I never had a birthday card, gift or cake, a new dress, underclothes, a warm jumper in winter, socks that fit or decent shoes, etc., although both my parents worked all money was wasted away on food, alcohol and themselves. At the age of 17, Sissay used his unemployment benefit money to self-publish his first poetry pamphlet, Perceptions of the Pen, which he sold to striking miners in Lancashire. Your email address will not be published. Best, FB, Fran, thankyou. His zodiac sign is Gemini. She is an incredible and extraordinary woman. I found it extremely moving and inspiring. When you all meet it is the beginning of the journey no the end. Your words , your rhythms, your clarity is helping people, I think you know that,you are helping people to heal. He was born in 1967 near Wigan, Lancashire, to an Ethiopian mother who had travelled to the UK to study. Given what hes missed, it would be understandable if Sissay were resentful and scathing about how thoughtlessly the rest of us sometimes complain about something so vital and yet unknown to him. I am glad you found your root and what an amazing root it is. I wanted to find my family, he says. Butits an idea Ive always struggled with. Emirates Airline Festival of Literature, If somebody has fought for their rights all their life, how are they equipped to deal with peace?," asksEnglish poet Lemn Sissay. Three years later, he became the chancellor of the University of Manchester and soon joined the Foundling Museum's board of trustees. I was so pleased your workshops went so well for you and that you were happy Lemn. Your speech and poetry readings were so inspirational. I will be looking out for you. We grow into adults and look back at the people who called themselves "[28][29], In January 2020, Sissay joined the Booker Prize judging panel, alongside Margaret Busby (chair), Lee Child, Sameer Rahim and Emily Wilson. Lemn Siaay began his career at the age of 19 workings as a literature development worker at Commonword, a community publishing cooperative in Manchester. On the other hand, he now knows what matters. Lemn Sissay is an English author and broadcaster and also a poet. And your mothers smile is lovely. The people who would care, who always care, would be family; and that caring and that noticing and that reflecting who we are and what we have become is as intrinsic to this time of year as the presents under the tree. He said he would never do that until he had found his birth family: but in his late 20s he did, and he is now in touch with his mother, who lives in New York. Sending love from Bristol. May many see or hear about you, learn from you, follow your example and take inspiration from you. I am not sure if there are many who would have. He was raised in care, first in a foster family and then, from the age of 12, in a string of childrens homes. At 55 years old, Lemn Sissay height not available right now. He said he would never do that until he had found his birth family: but in his late 20s he did, and he is now in touch with his mother, who lives in New York. what joy to connect with a person like you!! Out. But at 12, his foster mother demanded that social services take him back, after arguments at home and an abrupt change in his parents attitude towards him. Just heard your amazing, uplifting story on DID. Lemn Sissay's net worth It would take him four years to track her down. Despite the fact that we live about a mile apart in east London, were chatting over Zoom Sissay in a yellow shirt, against a blue wall, with a square of red sofa, as if painted by Van Gogh. Your mass of curly hair like a halo From South Africa. Its not surprising to me that the boy who had no family, and the man who had no family, has no family, he says, though he accepts: It could still happen. Its about all the people who made it happen, getting them to think aboutcare leavers and their lives, saysSissay. Happy family reunion. He left school at 15 with one GCSE and two CSEs. Sooo inspirational, thank you! for writing a number of books and plays such as "Tender Fingers in a Clenched Fist", "Rebel Without Applause", "Skeletons in the Cupboard", "Don't Look Down" (1993), and others. The poet says he feels a responsibility to talk even if he's stopped in the street. Thanks Azlan, I remember the Berne gig. For the next 24 years, he did whatever he could to get his hands on his files from the Wigan social services. I wanted to know my name. Lemn Sissay. Its rare in todays society to see someone tell his story without rancour but focusing all the time on the positive or smiling at the world as you put it so beautifully. If we were to truly replicate what a family is for the child whos being looked after by the state, if the state was truly to provide that, it would give them the best of everything., But what society gives the kids is not the best; its the dregs. Interview Lemn Sissay and Valerie Bloom look back: 'I was a wild child when she met me' Harriet Gibsone The poets recreate an old photograph from when they first bonded - and reflect on more. It was a glimpse into the incredible writer you were destined to be. You would never know. If so you are lucky. No next of skin. From the age of 24, he began performing internationally as a full-time writer. Thank you for sharing your story, I really was touched but I coudnt read the rest of the story.. Thankyou. Your story is so touching that I felt as if we were conversing. I saw your documentary yesterday on BBC One. Am recently widowed and realised that Im still nursing the bruise so Im now inspired to move on and only remember the positives of a perfect marriage rather than feeling sorry for myself. It was a moment suffused in cold irony as the writer discovered that the name Lemn, scrawled on a handwritten birth certificate, translated from Amharic to: why? Jesus said Suffer the little children to come unto me. The documents armed Sissay with the necessary proof that the government had stolen my childhood. And so, the poet took the Wigan council to court. From South Africa. Did you ever feel anger, if so how did you deal with it? My birth mother was Dottie MacPherson, born Dorothy Viola Quick, and she married my father as her 2nd husband, and they had 3 kids together; and then later I got adopted after both parents died, when I was 13. Hi Lemn, I just listen to you on Aljazeera, I love listening to your poems, but more your story, we all have those stories, Im so encouraged by the way handle life in general. Their capacity for empathy is often extraordinary: they have to use other skills to make contact with the world, because they dont have the skills people with families have.. On his first day there, he wrote a poem; it made him feel less alone. (dreadful reality TV seems to dominate these days how did that rubbish ever enter our space when there are important stories to tell?) Christmas is a moment to pause, to look back, not just year on year but across a lifetime. Since birth for what it's worth Lemn Sissay is performing My Name is Why at FORWARDS Festival, Bristol on 3 September (forwardsbristol.co.uk) My Name Is Why by Lemn Sissay (Canongate Books, 10.99). Live loud and proud my friend .. you inspire and have the power to make the establishment take notice. Later that year he became the patron of theatre company 20 Stories High, based in Toxteth, Liverpool, which creates diverse theatre including beatboxing, singing, puppetry and other media. Hi lemn, I have been a Foster Carer for 34years, of difficult to place Teenagers. Today I listened to you telling your story on You Tube, what a beautiful person inside and out, thank you for being you and sharing your story. Im sure I would have met him at the time, he says. But at the time, Sissay had little interest in advancing his profession or building a name as a poet. Your desert Island interview was the best I have ever heard. Words made some kind of sense of your heartbreak I was into poetry. He lived in Hulme. His Twitter account is@lemnsissay and has 70.7K followers. I was so moved by the power of his poetry. "[3][8][9] From the point of leaving care, he began the search for his mother and took back his real name.[3][5]. In April 2017, Sissay joined the Foundling Museum's board of trustees. The villages of Lancashire are all monocultural. Totally aware, hypersensitive, neurotic, worried, unable to sleep at night, I moved in with friends of our family; by age 15 my name was changed from Wendy Kay MacPherson to Wendy Kay Olsen, reflecting their heritage. I met my mother when I was 21 it was very difficult the same as you, strained I think she struggled with her emotions. With such a life story you could give some support for Pro-Life Organisations Preserving Rights of Unborn, now-a-days termination of pregnancy is shown as sth good especially in media, best regsrds. I am proud to be Chancellor of this fantastic university and extremely grateful to everyone who voted for me." I will look out for you if you ever come to my side of the world in Malaysia. I have trained as a foster Carer and I am waiting for my second child. He was the official poet of the 2012 London Olympics, has worked with the British Council and is a patron of the Letterbox Club, supporting children in care. Now 53, Sissay has carved a place for himself in the upper echelons of UK's literary scene. Each verse ended with: Every mother wants a baby like you. Id just had my son and found it so moving. I write stuff. I was similar in age as my father when she met him for the one and only time. He's talked before about a later meeting, but this first reunion, on London's South. You are a gift to children who have gone through the care system, with all its failings, a gift to black people generally, a gift to immigrants in the Uk, a gift to young black males who feel the system is against them (as it often is) and need/are looking for (very scarce) role models and a gift to those dealt a cruel card by life in general. It was a taxing legal process that ended three years later, in 2015, with an out-of-court settlement. I got a chance to watch the Bikila Award video. Any chance of arranging that please please? [30], In December 2020, he was featured walking in Dentdale towards England's highest railway station, in the Winter Walks series on BBC Four. Hello Lemn, I have just finished your book, my name is Why. Thank you and God bless you. And it isntonly about the youngsters. I want him to be with his own people, his own colour. Who are you? Oh ! We have estimated He is the chancellor of the University of Manchester, and in 2012 he was the official Olympics poet. Who really cares?. Later that year it was announced that he would appear in a revival of Jim Cartwright's 1986 play Road at the Royal Court Theatre. After hed accepted the request, she phoned him and they talked for the first time in many years. I cried listening to your story, what you went through as a child and you filled me with much pride and happiness with what you achieved as an adult. Just read your book Why and tried to find out if you found your mother and so glad you did.l am ashamed of our care system after reading your book so glad you are now successful against all the odds. Im happy. She wrote How can I get Lemn back? I was also a Foster child I am a year older than you. to actually care what happened to you when many others let you down. Lemn Sissay is a good looking man with an average build body physique. My reunion with birth family has brought happiness on one side and fresh rejection on one side. We would like to show you a description here but the site won't allow us. You say fostered children are the most overlooked in society but I believe its adopted children of the 50s 60s and 70s. All my best wishes to the half filled cups in our world. Hi Lemn, Lemn Sissay: file it under now. Blessings to you and every one of your global family now including me. She said: "I love his poetry because it is so moving and not skin-deep.". He has written a number of books and plays.[2]. In 2019, he was awarded the prestigious Pen Pinter Prize. So yes, he says, he would love to settle down with someone; he would love children. Sign up to our Inside Saturday newsletter for an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the making of the magazines biggest features, as well as a curated list of our weekly highlights. Everybody deserves forgiveness. . 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