Lemn Sissay is a poet, playwright, musician, broadcaster and author. His formative years in the British care system, and the search for his birth mother, have contributed to the foundation of some of his most prolific work. From self-publishing his first poetry pamphlet aged 17, to being the official poet for the 2012 London Olympics, Sissay is a relentless writer, authoring five poetry collections and several plays and radiodramas. His Landmark poems can be found in London, Addis Ababa, Manchester, and Huddersfield. In 2019 he was awarded the PEN Pinter Prize, and in 2021 an OBE for his services to literature.