Jackie Kay was born and brought up in Scotland. Her most recent collection of short stories, Wish I was Was Here won the Decibel British Book Award. She has won the Guardian Fiction Prize for her novel Trumpet. Her most recent collection of poetry Darling, New and Selected Poems was a Poetry Book Society Recommendation. She was awarded an MBE in 2006. The Lamplighter, her long poem to commemorate the abolition of the slave trade, was published by Bloodaxe. She lives in Manchester with her son. Her memoir about finding her Nigerian father, Red Dust Road, was published by Picador in June 2010.