POST UPDATED 22 APRIL 2024 – STEPHEN LAWRENCE DAY
I first shared this poem over ten years ago when it was first published at The Morning Star. Since then, it’s been shared many times and republished in many different places including in my first poetry book. It’s available to read on my Instagram.
The original post is below. Respect to the family of Stephen Lawrence who have done so much to transform their pain at losing Stephen into positive action for others. #RememberStephenLawrence. #StephenLawrenceDay.
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My poem Stephen Lawrence isn’t on the National Curriculum was published in the Morning Star newspaper and can be read here.
The poem came about at the end of 2012 when two men were found guilty of Stephen Lawrence’s murder in 1993 (some details about the case here) and I was trying to explain events surrounding the murder to my son, who was ten at the time. I sent the poem out to various magazines and competitions but it was always rejected until Jody Porter, Poetry Editor at Well Versed, the poetry section of the Morning Star, accepted it.
I had also included the poem in my submission of 24 poems to Templar‘s Poetry Pamphlet Competition so I was delighted when Alex McMillan from Templar wrote to tell me that he would like to include it in a forthcoming anthology of best poems submitted to the competition.
I’m proud that this poem will be published in several places and I hope that more people learn about and remember Stephen Lawrence.
Josephine Corcoran 