Description
Join us for our annual Free Word Lecture, which aims to uphold the ethos of free speech with a focus on the power and politics of words.
Continuing the legacy of the Free Word Centre, an international centre for literature, literacy, and free expression, this annual event creates a platform for writers to spark stimulating conversations and challenge our assumptions about the world.
Following in the footsteps of previous speakers Ben Okri and Rana Ayyub, this year’s lecture by Lemn Sissay promises to be another unmissable event exploring the transformative and democratising power of words and the importance of freedom of expression.
About the Speaker
Lemn Sissay
Lemn Sissay OBE is a poet playwright, memoirist performer and broadcaster. Lemn Sissay was named MBE for services to literature by The Queen in 2014. In 2021 he named OBE for services to Literature and Charity. He has honorary doctorates from Universities of Huddersfield, Manchester, Brunel, Kent and Essex. Lemn has been Chancellor of University since 2015. He has judged many literary competitions including 2020 Booker Prize, The Gold Man Booker Awards, The National Poetry Competition, The Forward Prize, The Ted Hughes Prize, Cardiff International poetry competition, The Creative Future Literary Awards, and the Bridport Prize. He lives in London and Manchester.
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