Lillian Allen

Toronto's seventh Poet Laureate, Lillian Allen is recognized as a leading international exponent of dub poetry & spoken word poetics. She mentors the mentors and works inter-generationally and across cultures. The Ontario Arts Council and the League of Canadian Poets established two permanent Spoken Word prizes in her name. Lillian who hails from Spanish Town, Jamaica, is a Professor of Creative Writing at OCAD University where she founded the BFA in Creative Writing Program. She is and a senior fellow at U of T’s Massey College and travels nationally and internationally to read her poetry and give lectures on dub, culture and on emerging and new poetics.

 

Lillian publishes extensively in print, performances and recordings, her most recent publications 2022, and 2024; Making the World New (Selected by Ronald Cummings) is published by Wilfrid Laurier University Press and Mutter Tongue a collaboration with Gregory Betts and Gary Barwin. A two-time Canadian Juno award winner, Lillian is a Toronto Cultural Champion and also the recipient of an Honorary Doctorate for her contribution to Canadian Letters. Her current practice veers into vocal sonic poetics that explores pre-language and post-language poetics.