FREE Secondary Schools Event: Are You For Real? with Jackie Kay

Thu 21 May 2026 | 1:30pm - 3:00pm

Jackie Kay headshot with book cover and Schools Event banner
Jackie Kay May Day book jacket
A book cover with a black and white close-up of hands playing the trumpet.
A red and white book cover of Red, Cherry Red by Jackie Kay

FREE Secondary Schools Event: Are You For Real?

Year 9, 10 & 11 students are invited to an event inspired by The Litmus School Writing Project to come and hear from one of the UK’s best-loved poets, Jackie Kay who will be giving a dynamic and engaging presentation on this year’s theme, Are You For Real? How do we sort the real from the fake? How much will it matter that we do? How do we ground ourselves in a world where images and facts, where reality itself, can be so easily altered and re-presented to us? What do lies do to us? Do we need truth? Does truth matter? Why?

Speakers: Jackie Kay, Ali Smith.

Jackie will be reading from her work and discussing themes from her award-winning poetry book May Day, which casts an eye over several decades of political activism and re-instates the unique role that poetry can answer some questions. Jackie’s other poetry books include Red Cherry Red, which explores the themes of identity and age, and includes poems about the old days and the new days, and the places associated with an older generation, and Trumpet, a modern classic that confronts the challenges of a transgender life and the lengths to which people will go to for love.

If you represent a non-fee paying school and would like to apply for tickets please follow the link below.

REGISTER FOR TICKETS HERE

Venue: Cambridge Union

Duration: 2 hours

With thanks to Cambridge Union and Trinity College

Author Biography

Jackie Kay was born in Edinburgh. A poet, novelist and writer of short stories, she has enjoyed great acclaim for her work for both adults and children. Her novel, Trumpet, won the Guardian Fiction Prize. She has published three collections of stories with Picador, Why Don’t You Stop Talking, Wish I Was Here, and Reality, Reality; two poetry collections, Fiere and Bantam; and her memoir, Red Dust Road. From 2016 to 2021 she was the third modern Makar, National Poet for Scotland. She lives in Manchester and is Professor of Creative Writing at the University of Salford.