Valerie Bloom

Valerie Bloom MBE (born 1956)[1][2] is a Jamaican-born poet and novelist based in the UK.

She has also edited a number of collections, including One River Many Creeks and A Twist in the Tale.

[3] Bloom has written lyrics for world jazz ensemble Grand Union Orchestra, including "Can't Chain Up Me Mind" on their 1989 live show and album, Freedom Calls.

She writes poetry both in English and Jamaican Patois (and has been referred to as "a successor to Louise Bennett").

In 2005, she made a series of three programmes focusing on Jamaican poetry for BBC Radio 4 entitled Island Voices.