Dionne Brand Biography

Trinidadian poet and short-story writer, born in Guayaguayare, Trinidad, where she was educated at Naporima Girls' School. In 1970 she moved to Canada and graduated from the University of Toronto in 1975. With the exception of a period as a communications co-ordinator in Grenada which ended with the USA's invasion of the island in 1983, she has continued to live in Toronto, where she is widely active in community work. Her collections of poetry include 'Fore Day Morning (1978), Primitive Offensive (1982), Chronicles of the Hostile Sun (1984), and No Language Is Neutral (1990). Her verse, characterized by thematic interactions between history and the present and by precisely observed imagery, uses her personal experience to chart the emotional and cultural tensions generated by immigration. Sans Souci and Other Tales (1988) is a collection of her short stories, which are set in both Canada and the Caribbean. No Burden To Carry (1992) is a non-fiction work documenting the lives of black women in Canada.