The How

Yrsa Daley-Ward

Known for her large online presence and talks at global speaking events including TED x, Yrsa Daley-Ward is a writer, actor and model of Jamaican and Nigerian heritage. Yrsa was raised by her devout Seventh Day Adventist grandparents in the small town of Chorley in the North of England and now lives and works in New York City. Yrsa recently appeared in Peter Bowker's adrenalized, emotionally gripping BBC drama WORLD ON FIRE following the "intertwining fates" of ordinary people from Britain, Poland, France and Germany during the first year of the Second World War. She played working-class, opinionated jazz piano player and singer 'Connie Knight'. Yrsa starred alongside Oscar-winning actress Helen Hunt, Sean Bean and Lesley Manville. In her writing, Yrsa tackles issues dealing with all parts of the human condition, particularly those 'we don't tend to speak of.' Issues of social awareness such as mental health, sexuality, love, grief and addiction. "If you are afraid to write it, that's a good sign." As an author, she is best known for her debut collection Bone (2017) and her critically acclaimed poetic memoir The Terrible (2018), both published by Penguin. Yrsa can be found on Instagram @YrsaDaleyWard.