Lillian Allen performs Birth Poem at the Shipdeck Stage, Harbourfront Toronto, during the 1988 WOMAD Festival.  It is dedicated to all women who have endured labour.

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

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.