Warsan Shire at WOW: Bless the Daughter

PAST EVENT
Accessible
Sat 12 Mar 2022, 8.30pm
Queen Elizabeth Hall
Literature & poetry
From £25
past event
past event
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Portrait of Warsan Shire
Leyla Jeyte

The poet Warsan Shire launches her long-awaited first full-length poetry collection, Bless the Daughter Raised by a Voice in Her Head, with Bernardine Evaristo.

'The beautifully crafted poems in this collection are fiercely tender gifts,' says writer Roxane Gay.

Shire is the celebrated collaborator on Beyoncé’s Lemonade and Black Is King, and London’s first ever Young Poet Laureate.

This electrifying collection features poems of migration, womanhood, trauma and resilience; drawing on Shire’s own life, pop culture and news headlines.

In this event, Bless the Daughter Raised by a Voice in Her Head is brought to life by Shire and Booker Prize-winning author Bernardine Evaristo.

In Shire’s hands, lives spring into fullness. This is noisy life, full of music and weeping and surahs and sirens and birds. This is fragrant life, full of blood and perfume and shisha smoke and jasmine and incense.

The collection from one of our most exciting contemporary poets promises that each reader – and everyone who joins this event – comes away changed.

Part of WOW – Women of the World festival. WOW celebrates women, girls and non-binary people, takes a frank look at the obstacles they face and discusses solutions for change.

Need to know

This event is British Sign Language interpreted (BSL).

If you require BSL interpretation, please email the Southbank Centre Ticket Office on [email protected] to arrange your seating.

To join our free Access Scheme, email [email protected]

Find out more about our Access Scheme

Copies of Bless the Daughter Raised by a Voice in Her Head are available to purchase as an optional add-on for a discounted price of £9.99 when you buy a ticket to the talk. These may be collected at the event.

Dates & times

Sat 12 Mar 2022, 8.30pm

Price

  • Standard entryFrom £25*
  • Concessions25%**


* Excludes £3.50 booking fee.

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Venue

Queen Elizabeth Hall

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An accessible toilet is located in the foyer.

A Changing Places toilet is located on Level 1 Royal Festival Hall next to the JCB Glass Lift, for the exclusive use of disabled people who need personal assistance to use the toilet.

The facility includes a height-adjustable bench, tracking hoist system, a centrally-placed toilet, a height-adjustable basin and a shower. Please visit the Welcome Desk on Level 2, Royal Festival Hall, where a member of staff can provide you with the key. You can also use the phone next to the Changing Places toilet to speak to a member of staff. The facility is open daily 10am – 11pm.

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