About

Lennox Carty is an internationally acclaimed dub poet and creative writer. He’s an author who raises thought provoking issues.

At the age of 13 he was winner of the 1987 W H Smith Young Writers’ Award and the 1998 Farrago Slam Champion. Lennox was born and grew up on the beautiful Caribbean Island of Anguilla, he came to Britain in 1963 and started writing poetry when he was at secondary school. He began writing more seriously in 1982 after the Brixton riots which had a tremendous impact on him. His work covers a range of issues that are associated with problems of today’s youths – bullying, respect, disrespect, low self-esteem, identity, substance misuse, slavery, the environment, pollution, litter, nature, war, black history, racism and politics.

Lennox is a trained Youth and Community Worker who leads creative writing and cultural awareness projects around the country. He has been involved in television performances with ITV and Sky Community Channel and has also performed on radio. He has worked with international poets, such as Louise Bennette, John Agard, Merle Collins, Benjamin Zephaniah, Linton Kewesi Johnson and the British poet Roger McGough. Additionally, he runs Creative Writing Workshops in schools, universities, youth centres and prisons. He has worked in Wandsworth Prison, Whitemoor Prison, Aylesbury Young Offenders, Grendon Underwood Prison and Rochester Prison running Creative Writing Workshops, discussion and performance. He has been ‘Poet in Residence’ in several schools throughout, London, Wiltshire, Berkshire and Buckinghamshire.

Lennox has worked with Apples and Snakes and the Children’s Discovery Centre (CDC) as a freelance poet. His poetry performances have taken him to many countries, including Germany, Austria, Norway, Turks & Caicos Islands and The Gambia. In November 2004 Lennox Carty performed at the World’s AIDS Day Festival in Johannesburg, South Africa and took part in a radio interview. He has worked with BBC Radio 3 writing a poem for the Queen’s 80th Birthday. He was one of the two resident poets for the National Strategies Conference in June 2010.

He has received many awards and is a well known poet around the country.

1999 – Slough Mayors Arts Award 2000
2001 – Slough Black Music Co-op Black History Month Award
2002 – Care Promotions Black History Month Community Award
2004 – Black History Month Children’s Poetry Book Award
2004 – Slough Black History Month Enterprise Award
2010 – Anguilla Pioneer Arts Award

Lennox says, “Poetry is a way of expressing words, making dem dance, sing, express anger, mek you create a drama, turning you into an actor…we do it every day!”