Description
Every family carries stories; passed down through generations, held quietly, or shaped by love, migration, absence, memory and survival.
In this special event, acclaimed poet, memoirist and broadcaster Lemn Sissay reflects on stories gathered through the Tell Me Something About Family project, exploring family as inheritance, identity, fracture and belonging.
Family has long been central to Sissay’s life and work, from his landmark memoir My Name Is Why to his poetry and broadcasting, where questions of origin, care, separation and home recur with extraordinary power.
Tell Me Something About Family is both vast and intimate: a living archive of stories contributed by participants in Bradford, across the UK and around the world. For the first time, Sissay will work live with this material, which will include poetry readings, conversation followed by Q&A. This special event invites audiences to listen, reflect and bear witness to the human connections that shape who we are.
To share your story, you must be aged 18 or over. Visit the exhibition in the Festival Hub or the Tell Me Something About Family website to add your voice to this global project.
Tell Me Something About Family will open on 21 June until 21 July 2026.
About the Author
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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