Lemn Sissay and Valerie Bloom look back: ‘I was a wild child when she met me’

The poets recreate an old photograph from when they first bonded – and reflect on more than 30 years of friendship

Longtime friends and celebrated poets Lemn Sissay and Valerie Bloom were introduced in the late 1980s. Through Bloom’s encouragement and connections, Sissay was able to publish his debut collection of poetry, Tender Fingers in a Clenched Fist, in 1988. It was the start of an illustrious career which has documented his search for identity and the abuse he suffered during 18 years in the care system. Born in 1967, Sissay was the child of an Ethiopian mother who was forced to give up her son against her will; he was fostered by a white couple from Lancashire who sent him back into care aged 12. In 2015 he became chancellor of the University of Manchester, and his latest book, Don’t Ask the Dragon, is out now. Bloom’s Christopher Brown: Accidental Detective is out in July.