Louise Bennett-Coverley

Louise Bennett-Coverley

Bennett performing at the Anacostia Neighbourhood Museum's Jamaica Festival in Washington, D.C., 1969[1]
Bennett performing at the Anacostia Neighbourhood Museum's Jamaica Festival in Washington, D.C., 1969[1]
BornLouise Simone Bennett
(1919-09-07)7 September 1919
Kingston, Jamaica
Died26 July 2006(2006-07-26) (aged 86)
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Resting placeNational Heroes Park
(Kingston, Jamaica)
Pen nameMiss Lou
Occupation
  • Poet
  • folklorist
  • writer
  • educator
Language
EducationRoyal Academy of Dramatic Art
Years active1945–1999
Spouse
Eric Winston Coverley
(m. 1954; died 2002)
Children1
Website
missloujamaica.com

Louise Simone Bennett-Coverley or Miss Lou OM, OJ, MBE (7 September 1919 – 26 July 2006), was a Jamaican poet, folklorist, writer, and educator. Writing and performing her poems in Jamaican Patois or Creole, Bennett worked to preserve the practice of presenting poetry, folk songs and stories in patois ("nation language"),[2] establishing the validity of local languages for literary expression.[3]

  1. ^ "Miss Lou Celebration Next Sunday", Jamaica Gleaner, 31 August 2014.
  2. ^ Nwankwo, Ifeoma Kiddoe (1 January 2009). "Introduction (Ap)Praising Louise Bennett: Jamaica, Panama, and Beyond". Journal of West Indian Literature. 17 (2): VIII–XXV. JSTOR 23019943.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference JohnsonLK was invoked but never defined (see the help page).