Poets Details

JOHN AGARD

Born in British Guiana, now Guyana, John moved to England in 1977. As a playwright, award winning poet, short-story and children’s writer, he is a powerful force in bringing Caribbean culture to a wider audience through his writing and entertaining readings, along with the anthologies he has edited and co-edited with his partner Grace Nichols.

LILLIAN ALLEN

Born in Spanish Town, Jamaica, Lillian Allen moved to North America in 1969 and studied in New York and Toronto. She specialises in recordings of dub poetry (political poetry with reggae music and beat.)

LOUISE BENNETT

Born in Kingston, Jamaica, Louise Bennett is affectionately known as ‘Miss Lou’. She has promoted Jamaican folklore and music in the United States and England as well as at home and her poems in Jamaican patois have raised it to an art level, valued and appreciated in Jamaica and the outside world.

JAMES BERRY

Born in Jamaica, James Berry is an award winning writer and poet who moved to England in 1948 where a mixture of standard English and Jamaican Creole feature in his highly popular poems and stories. He is especially interested in multicultural education, promoting black writing and poetry.

VALERIE BLOOM

Valerie was born in Jamaica and now lives in England where she studied, writes and performs, conducting writing courses and extremely enjoyable school visits. She is a great ambassador for the joy of language with ‘crash courses’ in Jamaican patois frequently included in her talks.

DIONNE BRAND

Born in Trinidad, Dionne moved to Toronto in 1970. Her desire to write evolved from childhood experiences of living close to the ocean, with its associated memories of people and places. Pro-active in promoting the rights and freedom of women and the valuing of Black peoples’ lives, she is a poet, author, teacher, counsellor and film- maker.

FAUSTIN CHARLES

Faustin was born and grew up by the sea in rural Trinidad and now lives in London. He is a popular writer and poet for children and a gifted performer much in demand for events in schools, libraries and festivals.

FRANK COLLYMORE

Frank Collymore spent his whole life in Barbados, working as a teacher and developing his own writing and poetry. He was a cultural mentor, promoting and encouraging West Indian writing and poetry, chiefly through his editorship of the magazine ‘Bim’. He died in 1980 but his legacy continues with the arts complex named after him in Bridgetown.

AFUA COOPER

Afua was born and grew up in Jamaica where her interest in oral history was nurtured by family histories. These in turn shaped her storytelling. She is an Assistant Professor of History at the University of Toronto, a prominent writer of poetry and non-fiction works and a performer of dub poetry, (political poetry with reggae music and beat) bringing the oral aspects of African and Caribbean culture to life.

AMRYL JOHNSON

Amryl was born in Trinidad and came to England at the age of eleven. She taught creative writing at Warwick University and as a writer, poet and reader had residencies in England, Europe and the U.S.A. She viewed performance as a foremost method of communication, and is remembered for powerful readings of her vibrant poetry.

EVAN JONES

Born in Portland, Jamaica, Evan Jones grew up on a banana farm. He continued his education in the USA and like John Agard, was awarded a BA Hons. degree from Oxford. He moved to England in1956 and has been a freelance writer ever since, writing in a range of mediums including poetry, stories, film and television work.

JOHN LYONS

Born and brought up in Trinidad and Tobago John Lyons is a poet and a painter. His delightful poems come in dialect and standard English and explore the Caribbean view of the world and folklore along with his experiences in Britain.

MARC MATTHEWS

Marc Matthews was born in Guyana and now lives in London. He is a prize winning poet, actor, storywriter/teller and continues to perform in the UK and Europe.

IAN McDONALD

Ian McDonald was born in Trinidad and after reading History at Cambridge University. In 1955 he went to live in Guyana. He remained a strong supporter of Guyanese culture and human values in times of political turmoil and became a key figure in Guyana’s Cultural Commission. He is an accomplished poet and playwright.

PAM MORDECAI

Pam was born and educated in Jamaica and Massachusetts, and now lives in Toronto. She continues to promote writing by Caribbean women and has produced enchanting collections of poetry, short stories, plays and novels.

GRACE NICHOLS

Grace Nichols was born in Georgetown, Guyana, grew up in a small coastal village before returning to the city and later, as a student, spent time in remote areas of the country where her interest was awakened in the Guyanese folk tales and Amerindian myths. She moved to England in 1977 and lives with her partner John Agard. She is an celebrated author and poet with an extensive range of published work for all age ranges and a popular exponent of Caribbean culture and those rhythms of speech which are the cornerstones of a unique heritage.

OPAL PALMER ADISA

Opal was born in Jamaica and although she has lived in the United States from the age of sixteen, her work is rooted in Caribbean landscapes and her language inspired by the rhythms, expressions and earthy poetry of Jamaica. She is an acclaimed novelist, poet, essayist, children’s book author, visual artist, storyteller and teacher.

TELCINE TURNER

Telcine was born and educated in the Bahamas. Her career as an educationalist, from school to college teaching, is now shared with that of a free-lance author and poet. Her lyrical and vivacious poetry reflects the fast moving, vivacious language of the Bahamas.

GRACE WALKER GORDON

Grace Walker Gordon lived and worked in Jamaica and although she is now deceased, her powerful poetry lives on.

BENJAMIN ZEPHANIAH

Ben Zephaniah was born in Birmingham. He moved to London in 1979 where he published his first book of poetry. A popular poet, author and playwright, he has a reputation as an energetic performer, often with dub musicians, (political poetry with reggae music and beat) and a ‘mastery of language and word-play’ displayed in his writing for children and adults.