Lillian Allen

The 7th Poet Laureate of Toronto, Lillian Allen is a professor of creative writing at Ontario College of Art and Design University (OCAD). Two time JUNO Award winner and trailblazer in the field of spoken word and dub poetry, Allen artistically explores the aesthetics of old and new sounds in music to create her distinctive leading edge brand of Canadian reggae with new world sounds in her poetry recordings, with her powerful reggae dub poetry/spoken word recordings including her latest single Woken & Unbroken (2018), album ANXIETY (2012), her groundbreaking first solo Juno awardwinning album Revolutionary Tea Party, a Ms. Magazine Landmark Album, followed by another Juno winner, Conditions Critical. Her third album, Freedom & Dance and her recording for children and young people, Nothing But a Hero, were released to critical acclaim. Allen’s debut book of poetry, Rhythm An’ Hardtimes became a Canadian best seller, blazing new trails for poetic expression and opened up the form. Lillian Allen’s latest collection Make the World New: The Poetry of Lillian Allen, edited by Ronald Cummings was published in Spring 2021 and is part of the Laurier Poetry Series. Her other collections, Women Do This Everyday and Psychic Unrest are studied across the educational spectrum. Her literary work for young people includes three books: Why Me, If You See Truth, and Nothing But a Hero. Multi-disciplinary and experimental, Allen’s creativity crosses many genres including radio, theatre, music and film; as writer, featured artist and producer/director and national radio show host. She co-produced/co-directed Blak Wi Blak, a film documentary on Jamaican dub poet Mutabaruka which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. Allen, who grew up in Jamaica, moved with her family as a teenager, studying in New York and Toronto. Founder of the Toronto International Dub Poetry Festival and a variety of cultural organizations such as Fresh Arts that empower youth, Allen has spent over three decades writing, publishing, performing and doing workshop presentations of her work to audiences around the globe. Allen is a recognized authority and activist on issues of diversity in culture, cultural equity, cross cultural collaborations, and the power of arts in education and has worked, locally, nationally and internationally in this capacity. Her eclectic, insightful and inspiring lectures and performances have taken her as far as Jamaica and Switzerland. She has also held the post of distinguished Writer-in-Residence at Canada’s Queen’s University and University of Windsor. Lillian would love to hear from you. You can visit Lillian on Facebook or Instagram . And you can contact her at [email protected] or leave a message below

Lillian Allen is a writer who moves easily from one artistic discipline to another, emerging with new work transformed and transforming. Allen moved from Spanish Town, Jamaica, to North America in 1969. She studied at the City University of New York, and has a B.A. from York University in Toronto. She is a leading exponent of dub poetry, a highly politicized form of poetry that has been set to music, including jazz, reggae, rock, and more. She has spent over a decade writing, publishing, and performing her work in Canada, the U.S. and England. Lillian is known internationally as a pioneer of dub-poetry, and as a ground breaker for women in the field. Her first album of poetry with music, Revolutionary Tea Party (1986), was proclaimed a Landmark Album of The Past 20 Years by Ms. Magazine in 1991. She won a Juno award for that album and a second in 1988 for Conditions Critical. (We Shall Take Our) Freedom & Dance, her third album, was released in 1999 by Vancouver's Festival Records. Lillian has published 2 books of poetry, Rhythm An' Hardtimes(1983), and more recently, Women Do This Everyday (Women's Press, 1994). Her work for young people includes three books: Why Me, Nothing But A Hero (for which she also released a recording) and If You See Truth. As a playwright she has produced One Bedroom With Dignity (1987), Love & Other Strange Things (1991 and 1993), and the radio play Marketplace(1995). Her creativity also extends to film, as co-producer and co-director of Blak Wi Blakk..., a documentary on Jamaican dub poet Mutabaruka. Beyond writing, Lillian is a recognized authority and activist on issues of diversity in culture, cross cultural learning, and the arts in education. She has been consulted by and prepared major reports on these issues for Canadian organizations ranging from the Ministry of Citizenship & Culture, to the National Film Board. Her lectures and performance have taken her as far as Jamaica and Switzerland. Allen has also been Writer in Residence at Canada's University of Windsor.