I would say that I brought that sensibility into the city some decades ago, with people like bpNichol and so forth, and lifted poetry a bit off the page. How will that have an impact on your approach to this role? You’re known as the godmother of dub poetry, a form which is so physically and verbally creative. The Star spoke with her about her approach to the role, how she’s going to bring poetry to the streets and stirring things up. That is part of the reason Allen, now 74, said she was surprised to get the email - and later the confirmation - that she was to be the city’s next poet laureate, with a term lasting three years, until 2026, taking over from the outgoing poet laureate A.F. While the city and its people love that edginess, she said, our institutions haven’t quite caught up. Lillian Allen is considered to be the city’s godmother of rap/hip hop, dub and spoken word poetry scenes.įor years she was a fixture of the Queen Street circuit, when West Queen West was still edgy and centred the arts, poor artists and reggae and punk rock setting the scene.
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