As a young black girl growing up in Glasgow, Jackie Kay found in Bessie someone with whom she could identify & who she could idolise. Kay mixes biography, fiction, poetry & prose to create an enthralling account of an extraordinary life

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ICZIxOmfQLc

#Scottish #literature #poem #poetry #music #song #singing #BessieSmith #InternationalWomenInMusicDay

Jackie Kay’s biography of Bessie Smith was published by Faber in 2021

“Jackie Kay’s book on Bessie Smith: She has combined biographical information with a total understanding of who Bessie actually WAS … Biographies don’t usually bring the subject to life again. This one did. I finished the book then started it again immediately.”
—Peggy Seeger

https://www.faber.co.uk/product/9780571362929-bessie-smith/

#Scottish #literature #poem #poetry #music #song #singing #BessieSmith #InternationalWomenInMusicDay #biography