It's a beautiful thing. I'm actually writing the speech for it, as we speak, but it's quite intimidating to follow Chimamanda Adichie but I'm going to do a good job. I'm going to do my absolute best. My mother is from the Amhara people of Ethiopia. It is a tradition of the Amhara to leave messages in the first name of the child. In Amharic the name Lemn means Why?” EXTRAORDINARY’ The Times, ‘BEAUTIFUL’ Dolly Alderton, ‘SHATTERING’ Observer, ‘INCREDIBLE’ Benjamin Zephaniah, ‘UNPUTDOWNABLE’ Sunday Times, ‘ASTOUNDING’ Matt Haig, ‘POWERFUL’ Elif Shafak My Name Is Why consists predominantly of Sissay’s chronological meditations on his experiences of the care system. Chapters are prefaced by gnomic poems, many of which speak of the resilience and hopefulness necessary to emerge from what he endured; they also help propel our thoughts towards his brighter future. The narrative is interspersed with grainy facsimiles of social workers’ reports and letters that give the institutional version of events, replete with “misinformation” and “misdirection”, which Sissay probes, rebuts, corrects. Something Dark by Lemn Sissay". British Council. Archived from the original on 5 May 2013 . Retrieved 3 April 2013.

Sissay's television appearances include The South Bank Show and the BBC's series Grumpy Old Men. As a radio broadcaster he makes documentaries for the BBC. He is a regular contributor on BBC Radio 4's programme Saturday Live, which in 2008 was nominated for two Sony Awards. He also contributes to the BBC's Book Panel. Now that social networks are booming and they have more users than ever, it’s becoming very challenging to find a name that stands out and attracts users. Some of the difficulties you might face are:I first encountered Lemn and his story about 7/8 years ago and every time, I'm filled with such deep sadness and rage on his behalf. This book offers more details and concrete layers to Lemn's early disheartening journey. I have nobody there for me. But then I never did. If I’m given an award or something, there’s nobody from my past who’s going to call and say: “Well done.” There’s nobody for me to prove what I’ve achieved. There are no sisters, brothers, aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents – but then there never was. And I’m finally OK with it. This is my life. I just drew a slightly shorter straw than everyone else.

You can't help feeling anger and despair when reading this — I recommend the audiobook. So much of this story is heartbreaking but the damning documents by social services which serve as proof that he was not only denied his real family, his heritage, and his name but also the permission to dream, propels that feeling into something much deeper. When we discuss fiction with our friends, we not only immerse ourselves deeper in the story, we learn a lot about our friends. Here are some questions to help facilitate that experience. Saadia Qamar (10 December 2012). "British poet Lemn Sissay leaves audience spellbound". International Herald Tribune . Retrieved 3 April 2013.A trustee of The Foundling Museum and the first poet commissioned to write for the London Olympics, Lemn Sissay is an award-winning writer, performer and broadcaster. He grew up in care and has since become an advocate for care experienced children, young people and adults. In 2015, Sissay became the patron of ALL FM 96.9 Community Radio in Manchester, and he said: "I've always loved All Fm, partly because it's such diverse radio (with shows in Urdu, Polish, Somali, Persian, Cantonese and more), but also because it played 'Architecture' (Bertallot & Mo-Dus Remix), which I'd lost and the All Fm DJ sent me a copy." Sissay's poems are read frequently on All Fm and one of its older presenters, Li, aged 84, translated and read his poem "Invisible Kisses" in Mandarin and English. She said: "I love his poetry because it is so moving and not skin-deep." [ citation needed] If the book is already a movie, are you happy with the representation? Do you prefer the book or the movie?