Page 38 - Powerlist 2020

INTERVIEW
Arts, Fashion & Design Lemn Sissay

From a childhood spent in care and riven by rejection, Lemn Sissay has become one
of the most lauded contemporary poets in the UK today. He talks to Alexa Baracaia
about his upbringing, how it shaped his future and what his achievements mean

Your memoir, My Name Is Why, is a and so did I. He was mixed-race. He You’ve talked about suffering ‘constant
powerful story of a life stolen – taken had to prove himself and teach others. racism from the get-go’.
from your Ethiopian mother as a baby, Without doubt he was my first mentor. I remember being stopped in my car
fostered to a family that later rejected by the police at least once a week,
you, and an adolescence spent in care. Not least because your upbringing was and thinking that every element of my
Is it too trite to ask if poetry saved you? overwhelmingly white… growing has got a guard outside saying
I would say poetry gave me pretty I didn’t meet a black person until I was “you can’t come in”. Get a car and
much everything: a life, a career, a way nine – I think someone from my foster the police stop you; go out with a girl
to express myself; a constructive way of parents’ church – and I didn’t know who isn’t your colour and people think
being able to climb out of the world. one until I was 16 or 17. I’ve been on a you’re out of order. Every element of
long journey. becoming a black male adult has people
When did you first realise you wanted positioned at it saying, “this is not
to be a poet? for you”.
I remember in the children’s home
writing my first poem at the age of 12. How do you face down the brickbats
I can’t recall what it was about, but I and discrimination?
remember the feeling I got when I wrote Racism doesn’t go as you get older,
it: a sense of place. “I’m not defined but if you’re good you start to find the
by my scars but ninja way. You can bend knives, avoid
Where did that come from? Had you bullets; you know who is going to take
always loved poetry? by my incredible aim before they do and you can soothe
No – the only poems I read were the them. There is a way through this forest
Psalms in the Bible that my foster ability to heal” that makes the forest invisible. I’m not
parents had. defined by what I am not – I’m not
defined by this racism stuff. This stuff is
What else did you grow up reading? How did you feel when you met that not the central theme of what it is to be
Until the age of 12, the Famous Five, first person? a human being. I’m not defined by my
Secret Seven, C.S. Lewis, the Reader’s I felt scared. scars but by my incredible ability to heal.
Digest. That was me, and then I went
into children’s homes and there were no Why? Do you think the publishing world has
books. So it was pretty much laden with Because when you grow up only around opened up fully to diverse talents?
trauma – I didn’t have the whole, “Oh, I one race you pick up ideas about other In the publishing environment you
read x, y or z as a child and that’s what races without realising it, so when that notice how people sort of suggest
inspired me”. becomes flesh, blood, bone, eyes and people without realising it. “My favourite
mouth… I mean, I know what a lot of writer is x” – oh, it’s another male/
What about role models? people who are not black who come female who looks like you. It’s about
My first role model was dead, and he from the countryside experience: cultural references. And so you need
was Bob Marley. It was his words as number one, lies about people from to consciously say to yourself, “I do this
much as his music that made me choose other parts of the world; two, shock and so I can uphold Nnedi Okorafor or Jay
him. He was an outsider, too – he came fear; then they get over that and start to Bernard in this environment”. We are
from the country and went into the city live. I know because I lived it. often reduced by race in other people’s

38 Powerlist 2020