An advocate for poetry, language and the arts, Toronto’s Poet Laureate attends events across the city to promote and attract people to the literary world. The position, which was inaugurated in 2001, honours a Toronto poet whose work displays excellence and who has written on themes relevant to Torontonians. The Poet Laureate’s mandate also includes the creation of a legacy project that will be unique to the individual.

Lillian Allen, Toronto’s Seventh Poet Laureate

Lillian Allen was named Toronto Poet Laureate by Toronto City Council in May 2023. Lillian is a professor of creative writing at OCAD University. She is a two-time JUNO Award winner and trailblazer in the field of spoken word and dub poetry. Lillian artistically explores the aesthetics of old and new sounds with her powerful reggae dub poetry and spoken word recordings.

Over the decades, Lillian has created opportunities for new generations of artists and initiated and led community-building youth-supporting programs. She has received numerous accolades and awards, including being the recipient of an honorary doctorate in recognition of outstanding contribution to Canadian Literature from Wilfrid Laurier University, the Toronto Cultural Champions Award, the Margo Bindhardt Award for significantly impacting the arts in Toronto through both creative work and activism, and the William P. Hubbard Award for Race Relations.

Lillian is the author of Make the World New–Selected Works, Old and New, edited by Ronald Cummings, WLU Press 2021. Other books include Women Do this Every Day, Psychic Unrest, plus books and recordings for children and young people.

Allen was selected by a panel that included out-going Poet Laureate Al Moritz, Griffin Poetry Prize winner Canisia Lubrin, poet/bookseller Jeff Kirby (knife/fork/book), League of Canadian Poets Communications Manager Laura O’Brien and award-winning poet Michael Fraser.