Born in Spanish Town, Jamaica in 1951, Lillian Allen left Jamaica for Kitchener, Waterloo to attend Waterloo University in 1969 at the age of 17. That same year she would move to New York City, where she worked for the Caribbean Daily. During her time there she became heavily involved in the dub-poetry scene, publishing and performing her own work. Her path would eventually lead her back to Toronto, where she would study at York University in their English and Creative Writing program. Allen released her first recording Dub Poet: The Poetry of Lillian Allen in 1983, having released her first chapbook of poems Rhythm an’ Hardtimes the year before. She won the Juno Award for Best Reggae/Calypso Album in 1986 and 1988 for Revolutionary Tea Party and Conditions in Critical, respectively. She collaborated on the one-off single “Can’t Repress the Cause”—a song meant as a plea for more inclusion in the hip-hop genre. She is currently a professor at OCAD University in Toronto where she teaches creative writing. She also holds the distinction of being the first Canada Council writer-in-residence for the Queens University Department of English. She is the founder of the Toronto International Dub Poetry Festival, and has co-directed and produced the 1991 documentary Blak Wi Blak, centered on Jamaican dub-poet Mutabaruka, which appeared at the Toronto International Film Festival. Allen is seen by many as Canada’s foremost dub poet, and her work continues to target social injustice while “celebrating community, life, and love”.