Lemn Sissay OBE gives reading from best-selling memoir My Name is Why at University of Westminster

The reading was organised by Professor Guy Osborn from Westminster Law School and Sally-Anne Gross, Principal Lecturer in the Westminster School of Arts. Sally-Anne also hosted a revealing discussion with Lemn followed by a Q&A session.

 'My Name is Why' reflects on Lemn's experience of over a decade of mistreatment in the British care system, as a young infant taken from his Ethiopian mother. It is a powerful account of his journey from neglect and despair to artistic and cultural recognition.

During the Q&A, Lemn also spoke about The Christmas Dinners project which he set up to provide bespoke Christmas dinners for care leavers aged 18-25, with the aim of giving these young people some happy memories of the festive season. There are now over 20 Christmas Dinner events staffed entirely by volunteers happening around the country from Stockport to Richmond and beyond.

The event was a great success, with the audience made up of students from across the disciplines of creative writing, music and law. There was also a substantial external guest list including the artist Gavin Turk amongst others.

Speaking about the event, Sally-Anne Gross said: “Lemn’s reading and words were heart-breaking and inspirational in equal measure. They serve as a poignant reminder of how complex and fragile our relationship to family and community can be, especially at this time of year. Lemn’s work and life truly encapsulates the power of art to inspire and transform lives. It was a great way to celebrate the spirit of Christmas on a dark winter’s night.”

Professor Osborn added: “Lemn Sissay's biography notes that he is a 'poet, playwright, broadcaster and speaker'. Given the amazing work Lemn has done, to those I would add 'hero' and 'national treasure’, and this event tapped fully into our ‘Being Westminster’ ethos and spirit, and our long history of events that instruct and delight.”

Lemn Sissay is a poet, playwright, memoirist, performer and broadcaster. He was awarded The Pen Pinter Prize in 2019 when ‘My Name Is Why' reached number one in The Sunday Times bestseller list, and this year, it won the Indie Book Awards non-fiction prize.

Lemn is also the Chancellor and an Honorary Professor at the University of Manchester, as well as a Visiting Fellow at Jesus College, Cambridge.

Donate to The Christmas Dinners project on the CAF Donate fundraising website.