Lemn Sissay: Foster care, belonging, and snake charming
Happy Place1 Apr 2024

Lemn Sissay: Foster care, belonging, and snake charming

“Am I mad, or did it happen?” This is a question that poet Lemn Sissay regularly finds himself asking. Having grown up in care, he has no family members to bear witness to his life experiences; is his understanding of his own identity correct?

In this chat with Fearne, Lemn talks through why it’s important for us not to compare trauma, that everything’s relative, and no one deserves more or less empathy. He also exposes the reality of the care system in the UK, and offers practical ways for all of us to help those who’ve been in care better integrate into society.

Between them, they suggest how to watch out for when you’re performing to a crowd, rather than being present – that’s where a true feeling of belonging lies – and how to mitigate the negative voices that want to knock your confidence.

Lemn’s latest poetry collection is Let the Light Pour In and his memoir is My Name Is Why. Both are published by Canongate.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Avsnitt(417)

Billy Monger

Billy Monger

After a catastrophic accident in a Formula 4 car, racing driver Billy Monger would be forgiven for decided to end his motor racing career. The fact that he returned, just months later, is a remarkable...

23 Sep 201936min

Katie Piper

Katie Piper

It's hard to describe Katie Piper and her extraordinary career without using a bunch of words she dislikes: inspiring, heroic, brave... but use them we must, as Fearne discusses her life in front of a...

16 Sep 201954min

Bodyposipanda (Megan Jane Crabbe)

Bodyposipanda (Megan Jane Crabbe)

Megan spent a long time hating her body - and then, just three years ago, she discovered the body positive movement and her life changed.In this live interview with Fearne, she describes how she took ...

9 Sep 201935min

Reggie Yates

Reggie Yates

They have been friends for over half of their lives: working together, travelling the world... so it was only a matter of time before Reggie joined Fearne on the podcast.And just to make it extra spec...

2 Sep 201939min

Sweaty Betty special: Victoria Pendleton & Sophie Everard

Sweaty Betty special: Victoria Pendleton & Sophie Everard

Why do we have best friends? And what part do they play in finding our happy place?In this special bonus episode of Happy Place, Olympian track cyclist Victoria Pendleton and her BFF Sophie Everard di...

5 Aug 201940min

Hozier

Hozier

Hozier makes you think. It's in his lyrics, in his music... even his music videos. So it's no surprise to find out that he spends a long time thinking about how he writes and performs his chart-bustin...

29 Juli 201940min

Elizabeth Gilbert

Elizabeth Gilbert

You would think that the bestselling author of Eat, Pray, Love would define her occupation as 'writer' - but, as she reveals to Fearne in this interview, most of her time is dedicated to managing her ...

22 Juli 201951min

Juno Dawson

Juno Dawson

Up until the age of 28, Juno was known to most as the best-selling author of young adult fiction - James Dawson.But in that year, she entered the process of physically becoming the person she always f...

15 Juli 201939min

Populärt inom Samhälle & Kultur

podme-dokumentar
en-mork-historia
badfluence
mardromsgasten
aftonbladet-krim
p3-dokumentar
creepypodden-med-jack-werner
skaringer-nessvold
nemo-moter-en-van
gynning-berg
killradet
hor-har
flashback-forever
rattsfallen
svenska-fall
vad-blir-det-for-mord
rss-sanning-konsekvens
aftonbladet-daily
rss-mer-an-bara-morsa
spar