Jackie Kay
(1961-), Poet, novelist and makar (Scottish Poet Laureate)Sitter in 2 portraits
Born in Edinburgh to a Scottish mother and a Nigerian father, Kay grew up in Glasgow after being adopted as a baby by Helen and John Kay, a white Scottish couple. Kay became interested in literature and poetry, studying English at the University of Stirling. At the age of 17 she 'came out' to her adoptive mother as a lesbian. She is the author of The Adoption Papers (1991) in which she explores themes close to her heart: identity, race and sexuality. Kay is Professor of Creative Writing at the University of Newcastle. Her novel Trumpet, was awarded the Guardian Fiction Prize in 1998. She was awarded an MBE for services to literature in 2006 and appointed as the Makar in 2016.
by Mary McCartney
chromogenic print, 2008
NPG P1356
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