Imagine Festival: Lemn Sissay - Let the Light Pour In

This March, we are delighted to welcome Imagine Festival to The Crescent for a series of events.

Join BAFTA nominated author, activist, and performer Lemn Sissay OBE as he takes to our festival stage with this brand-new show.

Every morning for 10 years Lemn has written four lines and shares them on his socials with no explanation and no title. After catching the public’s attention, they have been transformed into murals, quoted in books, made into songs and even tattoos. He chose the best of them for Let the Light Pour In which became an instant bestseller – and now a live show.

With readings from his books, Lemn will unravel some of the original stories behind the poems, and how they have been used in people’s lives and his own – and show us how he lets the light pour in.

I will build an embassy
In your heart over time
There is a plot of land inside me
Build one in mine

Lemn will be signing copies of Let the Light Pour In and additional bestselling titles will be available for purchase at the show. 

“Sissay is a passionate and powerful voice.” Kae Tempest

"Outstanding." Matt Haig

Lemn Sissay is an award-winning writer and broadcaster. He has authored collections of poetry and plays and his memoir My Name Is Why was a number one Sunday Times bestseller. He has been made an Honorary Doctor by the universities of Manchester, Kent, Essex, Huddersfield and Brunel, and in 2019 he was awarded the PEN Pinter Prize. He received an MBE in 2010 and an OBE in 2021 for services to literature and charity. In 2023, Sissay was awarded the Freedom of the City of London. He is British and Ethiopian.

Imagine Festival is Belfast Festival of Ideas and Politics which takes place in Belfast every March and presents a unique way of imagining the future of this great city — and the wider world. They present high-quality showcases for the discussion of contemporary political and societal issues including new ideas on politics, culture and activism from some of the world’s leading contemporary thinkers.

But it’s not all brain-melting policy discussions: there’s something for everyone in the form of exhibitions, humour, family events, music, theatre, tours, workshops and film and whatever else they can find to fire your imagination. Visit ImagineBelfast.com to discover more.