Elected: 2022
Lemn Sissay OBE has read his poetry on stages throughout the world, from The Library of Congress in The United States to The National Theatre in Ethiopia. His memoir My Name Is Why is a number one Sunday Times bestseller. He won the indie book awards for non-fiction. Lemn was awarded The Pen Pinter Prize. He is the voice of Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats. His adaptation of Benjamin Zephaniah’s Refugee Boy is on the national curriculum. He is chancellor of The University of Manchester and Trustee of The Foundling Museum.
Image credit Hamish Brown.
Fellows are nominated by peers and elected by our Council of writers – our governing Board. Being elected a Fellow of the RSL is a lifetime honour. This role gives them the opportunity to support other writers, readers and the future of literature. The RSL connects writers in the Fellowship to one another, and to a wider readership.
