Lillian Allen performs I Fight Back at the Shipdeck Stage, Harbourfront Toronto,  during the 1988 WOMAD Festival.

Two other videos of Lillian at WOMAD can also be accessed through the Rise Up website: The Subversives and Birth Poem.

Lillian Allen is a professor of creative writing at the Ontario College of Art and Design University (OCAD). Two-time JUNO Award winner and trailblazer in the field of spoken word and dub poetry, Allen’s work speaks about social and political issues rooted in anti-racist and feminist struggles. A leading dub poet across Canada and internationally, Allen artistically explores the aesthetics of old and new sounds to create her distinctive leading edge brand of Canadian reggae.

Allen is also a recognized authority and activist on issues of diversity in culture, cultural equity, cross cultural collaborations, and the power of arts in education, and has worked – locally, nationally and internationally – in this capacity. Women Do This Everyday, a selection of Allen’s dub poetry, was published in 1993 by Women’s Press.