THE NEW TORONTO POET LAUREATE
The CBC called her the “Word Warrior”. Lillian Allen Has A New Title Now. In a move that has delighted Toronto’s literary and dub music communities, City of Toronto staff have recommended acclaimed poet, writer/performer, and arts activist Lillian Allen to become Toronto’s seventh Poet Laureate. The recommendation is pending approval by City Council at its next meeting in May – it is a given that Allen will get the nod. The Jamaican-Canadian was nominated by a selection committee in consultation with the literary community. She is a leader in dub poetry, a politically charged, reggae-infused poetry of resistance and visionary futures. The 74-year-old has been named a foremother of Canadian poetry by the League of Canadian Poets and is a two-time JUNO Award winner and trailblazer in spoken word and dub poetry. Born in Spanish Town, Jamaica, she left that country in 1969, first moving to New York City before settling in Toronto. She is a poet, author, and recording artist, having rele