Lemn Sissay OBE is a poet, playwright, memoirist and broadcaster. He recently published a best-selling memoir, My Name Is Why, which won the 2021 Indie Book Awards. As a performer, he has appeared everywhere from the Library of Congress in Washington D.C. to the National Theatre of Ethiopia in Addis Ababa, the Dubai Opera House, London Palladium and Wigan Library. Sissay has presented or been the subject of numerous award-winning television documentaries and radio series and has collaborated with several musicians, including Leftfield and Baaba Maal. He is artistic advisor to the Manchester International Festival and was Guest Director of Brighton Festival in 2020 and 2021.