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Patrons

Our Festival patrons are Sir Patrick Stewart OBE, Lemn Sissay OBE and lisa luxx

Patrick Stewart OBE

Patrick Stewart OBE is a film, television and stage actor of world renown. As well as a distinguished career as a stage actor, including many Shakespearean roles, he is known for his portrayals of Professor Charles Xavier in the X-Men series of movies and Captain Jean-Luc Picard in the TV series and movies of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Born in Mirfield near Huddersfield, he is a keen supporter of Huddersfield Town football club. His memoir, Making It So, was published in 2023.

“Words – whether storytelling, poetry, drama, novels or discussion – are a powerful way of exploring issues from love and death to social matters and human rights. The Huddersfield Literature Festival aims to ‘bring words to life’, and whatever your sphere of interest, you are likely to find something here to move, inspire, entertain or provoke thought. Arts and culture enhance our lives as individuals and bring us together as a society. As someone whose profession relies on words and the way they are delivered, I’m proud to champion the festival and its activities. Why not come and see for yourself what’s on offer.” Sir Patrick Stewart OBE

Lemn Sissay OBE

Lemn Sissay OBE is a poet, playwright, broadcaster and speaker. A BAFTA-nominated, international prize-winning writer, he is the author of a bestselling memoir, My Name Is Why, and his poetry collections include Gold from the Stone and Let the Light Pour In. A Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and the official poet of the 2012 Olympics, his many awards include the 2019 PEN Pinter Prize and an OBE for services to literature.

“Literature broadens the mind and it’s really important to have people coming to Huddersfield to stimulate new ideas and debate. Also, to help people hone their own skills as poets, as novelists, as scriptwriters, so that they can then become the next generation of writers that are affecting Yorkshire, the country, the UK and the world. The literature festival is a sweet reminder to people of what is theirs – of what they have a right to.” Lemn Sissay OBE

lisa luxx

lisa luxx is a queer poet, playwright, essayist and political activist of British and Syrian heritage. She was raised in Huddersfield and has strong connections with the local area. Her debut poetry collection Fetch Your Mother’s Heart came out in 2021, and her debut short story collection Sun Son was released by Comma Press in 2024.

Her work has been published in a variety of anthologies and literary journals, and broadcast on radio and TV. Much in demand for her live performances, she is the winner of the Out-Spoken Prize for Performance Poetry. She wrote the script for three theatre shows: Eating the Copple Apple, what the dog said to the harvest and The Moon is Listening from Dawn til Dusk. Between writing, she guest lectures on revolutionary poetics and queer theory, and works as a lyricist with LA-based Maison Arts. She splits her time between Beirut and London.

“I am incredibly moved to become a Patron of Huddersfield Literature Festival. A festival that has supported me consistenly over the years as I developed my writing, practise and position in the industry. Being a part of my hometown’s literary hub is a milestone. I hope to bring my transnational poetry community into the fold of Huddersfield, and to represent the festival while touring and publishing internationally too.” lisa luxx

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