About:
An inspired strategic thinker, Lillian is a leading expert on cultural diversity and culture in Canada and has been a consultant and advisor to all levels of government, to several institutions, and t...
Tagline:
Lillian Allen emerged as a leading influential figure on the Canadian cultural landscape. She is an award winning and internationally renowned poet and writer of short stories and Plays. As one of its lead originator, she has specialized in the writing and performing of dub poetry, a highly politicized form of poetry, which is sometimes set to music. Lillian is also responsible for opening up the form to insist and engrave feminist content and sensibilities. Her recordings 'Revolutionary Tea Party' and 'Conditions Critical' won Juno awards in 1986 and 1988 respectively. Her works appear independently and in anthologies. She has spent almost four decades writing, publishing, and performing her work in Canada, The US, Europe, and England. She has also worked in film, both as a featured artist (Revolution from de Beat, 1995; Unnatural Causes, 1989; Rhythm and Hardtimes 1987) and as co-producer and co-director of Blak.. Wi Blakk... (1994), a film on Jamaican dub Poet Mutabaruka.
Bragging Rights:
Born in Spanish Town, Jamaica in 1951, she left that country in 1969, first moving to New York City, where she studied English at the City University of New York.[2] She lived for a time in Kitchener, Ontario, before settling in Toronto, where she continued her education at York University, gaining a B.A.[3] After meeting Oku Onuora in Cuba in 1978, she began working in dub poetry.[2] She released her first recording, Dub Poet: The Poetry of Lillian Allen, in 1983. Allen won the Juno Award for Best Reggae/Calypso Album for Revolutionary Tea Party in 1986 and Conditions Critical in 1988.[3] Both albums were produced by Billy Bryans, the percussionist for Canadian dance-pop band Parachute Club. In 2006 Allen and her work were the subject of an episode of the television series Heart of a Poet produced by Canadian filmmaker Maureen Judge. She is a sessional lecturer at the Ontario College of Art and Design, where she teaches creative writing. She recently held the distinction of being the first Canada Council Writer-in-Residence for Queen's University's Department of English. Allen also co-produced and co-directod Blak Wi Blakk, a documentary about the Jamaican dub poet Mutabaruka.[3] Bibliography Rhythm an' Hardtimes (1983) The Teeth of the Whirlwind (1984) If You See Truth (1987) Why Me (1991) Women Do This Every Day (1993)[4] Psychic Unrest (1999) Discography Dub Poet: The Poetry of Lillian Allen (1983) De dub poets (1985) Curfew Inna B.C. (1985) Revolutionary Tea Party (1986) Let the Heart See (1987) Conditions Critical (1988) Nothing But a Hero (1992) Freedom & Dance (1999) External links Riddim' An' Hardtimes References ^ "Lillian Allen". thecanadianencyclopedia.com. Retrieved 20 January 2011. ^ a b Dawes, Kwame (2000) Talk Yuh Talk: Interviews with Anglophone Caribbean Poets, University of Virginia Press, ISBN 978-0-8139-1946-1, p. 148-160 ^ a b c Henry, Krista (2007) "Lillian Allen fights back with words", Jamaica Gleaner, 3 June 2007, retrieved 2010-10-31 ^ "Lillian Allen". poets.ca. Retrieved 20 January 2011.
