Urban Sermon with Liz Berry

The Urban Sermon invites celebrated authors, with a particular connection to the city, into Birmingham Cathedral for a special, one-off event to talk about some of the pressing issues of our time. This year’s Urban Sermon will be delivered by award-winning poet and author Liz Berry.

“Who are your angels? Name them…”

Many years ago, the Zen Buddhist writer and teacher Natalie Goldberg posed this question to her students. Following her inspiration, poet Liz Berry, has spent the last and a half year asking people in the region about their angels. Across faiths and doubts, griefs and new beginnings, their stories illuminate the way we live, love and endure. Who watches over us? Who cares for us when we are at our most vulnerable? Who shows kindness when the world is very cold?

In this hour of poems, storytelling and wondering, Liz will explore the idea of angels, and asks how, in a time which can feel so divided and individualistic, we might offer comfort and solidarity to each other.