“An experiment in hope” is how accomplished spoken word poet, BAFTA-nominated author, activist, performer and Sunday Times number one best-selling author Lemn Sissay describes his decade-long practice of composing a four-line poem each morning as dawn breaks.

Life-affirming, witty and full of wonder, each short piece then travels the globe via a huge social media network to reach people starting their days across the world.

It’s poetry which Jeanette Winterson describes as “hard-won light smashed out of darkness like gold from the rock … swallow one like an espresso and go”.

Join this master wordsmith and performer in his first visit to AWF for an uplifting hour of defiant joy to begin your Festival day.

Also at Auckland Writers Festival

$2 per hour to a max of $12 on weekends and a $12 flat rate for weekday evenings at The Civic car park. Find out more

Last updated: 23 March 2025