Dignitaries, major brands and broadcasters seek him out to articulate the mental health struggles our world is facing. Though the programme ended in 2018, Hussain’s poetic journey has gone stratospheric, hitting the Sunday Times charts with his debut collection Life Is Sad And Beautiful. Payments made using National Book Tokens are processed by National Book Tokens Ltd, and you can read their Terms and Conditions here.

At age fifteen, his English teacher handed him a cutout from a newspaper for the SLAMbassadors East London heat. It’s powerful stuff, piercing the heart of what it means to experience grief, articulating the most confusing parts of the fog.

The majority of pages are undamaged with some creasing or tearing, and pencil underlining of text, but this is minimal. I'm unsure if they were written as songs with a chorus, but I didn't enjoy the repetition in some of them either. Hussain's debut poetry collection will invite listeners on his journey through depression and grief, and out the other side to a better place - there will be joy, hope, tears and laughter—the emotions that make up the fabric of human experience.

A passionate kiss from the student nurse who has captured his heart sends him off on this mercy mission. THERE have been poetry collections and memoirs published, but none have been quite like the powerful debut book from Hussain Manawer. The cultural identity crisis, the depth of grief, the power of loss, the effect of mental health and societal stigma, I was able to identify all of life's most powerful heartbreaks and 'red flag' their relationships and connections with depression.

This week (as the final GCSE exam of 2023 takes place), Hussain is releasing a new video of one of the poems in that collection. In 2018 Prime Minister Theresa May went on to award him the Point of Light award, recognising his outstanding efforts in helping the country’s mental health crisis. He most recently appeared alongside Prince Harry and Oprah Winfrey in the mental health docu-series, ‘The Me You Can’t See’, alongside Lady Gaga, Glen Close and others. Hussain Manawer is an acclaimed poet and mental health advocate who started his poetry journey through The Poetry Society’s national youth slam championship, SLAMbassadors.

He's put so much of his heart in to the poems, especially those about the loss of his mother and his experience of depression.The poetry collection, memoir and self-help book rolled into one is a beautifully structured masterpiece that will appeal to all ages. His words will remind listeners, that even in your lowest moments you can find the gold dust, Life is Sad and Beautiful will shift outlooks and stand as a powerful vehicle for growth and change. Life is Sad and Beautiful will shift outlooks and stand as a powerful vehicle for growth and change. Finance is provided by PayPal Credit (a trading name of PayPal UK Ltd, Whittaker House, Whittaker Avenue, Richmond-Upon-Thames, Surrey, United Kingdom, TW9 1EH).

I struggle a lot with my mental health and this has given me confidence and more of a reason to continue down the road of recovery. Manawer has a wonderful message in this collection and I applaud him for writing such a heartfelt, hopefully letter in legacy of his mother.

If you’re leaving school this year, or if you’re feeling nostalgic, watch ‘Leaving High School’ by Hussain Manawer, performed by Freddie Pearson, below. Hussain Manawer is a globally acclaimed Poet, Mental Health Advocate and Producer - who was born in Newham and shortly after grew up in Ilford, Essex. Shelf Wear Shelf wear (shelfwear) describes damage caused over time to a book by placing and removing a book from a shelf. Please get in touch and we will do our best to source your book, no matter how unusual or specialist. Every poem in this chapter is a masterpiece, capturing pain, angst, confusion, and finally acceptance, with If She Was Here being a standout.