Valerie Bloom
Encyclopedia
Valerie Bloom MBE
(born 1956) is a poet
and a novelist.
in 1979. She attended the University of Kent at Canterbury
and earned an honours degree, and was later awarded an honorary Masters degree. She has been living in Kent
ever since.
She was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2008 New Year Honours
.
Her first novel was Surprising Joy and her latest novel, The Tribe, was published by Macmillan Children's Books.
She writes poetry both in English
and Jamaican patois
. Many of her performances include a 'crash course' in patois for audience members unfamiliar with the language. She has performed widely throughout the UK and abroad and appeared on many radio and TV programs. In 2005, she made a series of three programs focusing on Jamaican Poetry for BBC Radio 4
entitled Island Voices.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(born 1956) is a poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
and a novelist.
Early years
She was born in Clarendon, Jamaica in 1956 and later moved to EnglandEngland
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
in 1979. She attended the University of Kent at Canterbury
University of Kent
The University of Kent, previously the University of Kent at Canterbury, is a public research university based in Kent, United Kingdom...
and earned an honours degree, and was later awarded an honorary Masters degree. She has been living in Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
ever since.
She was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2008 New Year Honours
New Year Honours 2008
The New Year Honours 2008 for the Commonwealth Realms were announced on 29 December 2007, to celebrate the year passed and mark the beginning of 2008....
.
Her works
She has published several collections, the most recent of which is Whoop an' Shout! Her first collection was Touch Mi, Tell Mi and this was followed by Duppy Jamboree, Let me Touch the Sky, The World is Sweet and Hot like Fire. She has also edited a number of collections including One River Many Creeks and A Twist in the Tale and her poems have appeared in over three hundred anthologies.Her first novel was Surprising Joy and her latest novel, The Tribe, was published by Macmillan Children's Books.
She writes poetry both in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
and Jamaican patois
Jamaican Creole
Jamaican Patois, known locally as Patois or Jamaican, and called Jamaican Creole by linguists, is an English-lexified creole language with West African influences spoken primarily in Jamaica and the Jamaican diaspora. It is not to be confused with Jamaican English nor with the Rastafarian use of...
. Many of her performances include a 'crash course' in patois for audience members unfamiliar with the language. She has performed widely throughout the UK and abroad and appeared on many radio and TV programs. In 2005, she made a series of three programs focusing on Jamaican Poetry for BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
entitled Island Voices.