Jackie Kay

Published: Aug. 8, 2020, 10:17 a.m.

b'Jackie Kay is the national poet of Scotland and has taken her Makar duties seriously. She has written a weekly poem during lockdown, brought art into people\\u2019s homes with the broadcast Makar to Makar and written about the Black Lives Matter protests. She joins Richard Coles and Bridgitte Tetteh to discuss the timely reissue of her play The Lamplighter which follows five characters who are sold into the British slave trade.\\n\\nEmily Kolltveit was the lead singer of a goth metal band for nearly a decade before she joined the priesthood. Her tour schedule saw her perform in beautiful churches around Europe, awakening an interest in God. Emily has started her new role at a church in Primrose Hill, London where she wants to spread the message of social justice.\\n\\nPersonal trainer Ben Mudge has always lived with the threat of a deadly lung infection, having grown up with Cystic Fibrosis. Despite this, he has been the cover model for Men\\u2019s Fitness magazine and, because he looks remarkably like the Marvel character Thor, he dresses up to inspire children and other people with Cystic Fibrosis.\\n\\nWriter and performer Amrou Al-Kadhi founded the drag troupe Denim, whilst studying at Cambridge. Amrou recently won the Somerset Maugham Award for young writers for their memoir Life as a Unicorn which describes their transformation from a god-fearing Muslim boy to a drag queen, strutting the stage in seven-inch heels and saying the things nobody else dares to.\\n\\nAnd we have the Inheritance Tracks of singer and ex-Spandau Ballet frontman Tony Hadley.\\n\\nProducer: Laura Northedge\\nEditor: Eleanor Garland'