Everyday for 10 years, Lemn Sissay rose at dawn and wrote a four line poem.
Out of that resource of thousands, he selected the best - nearly 200 of them - for the compilation "Morning Poems - let the light shine in".
The collection is described as life affirming and full of wonder.
Lemn Sissay was awarded an OBE for his services for literature and was the commissioned poet for the London Olympics in 2012, but he is also an advocate for children in care after being placed in a foster home as a baby and then handed back to social services when he was 12.
He was the Chancellor of the University of Manchester for 7 years and a trustee of the Foundling Museum in London - which celebrates those who have been in care.
Lemn Sissay will be appearing at the Auckland Writers Festival 13 - 18 May.
Photo: supplied/ Hamish Brown
