It’s been a long journey for Christopher ‘Topher’ Allen, from his early years living in Clarendon to becoming one of the best young poets emerging from Jamaica.

Topher, who spent most of his childhood with his grandmother, grew up as the middle child of the family with three sisters and did not start off with any deep passion for writing.

Topher moved to Kingston to pursue an engineering degree at the University of Technology but decided that he wanted to do what he was passionate about instead of what his family wanted.

“I started in my early 20s as a form of therapy, my father passed away when I was nine and writing was my release,” said Allen when asked about his beginnings as a poet.

“My writing didn’t become poetry until I started reading work from Kei Miller,” he continued.

Topher defines poetry as the “use of familiar images and concepts to paint a fresh picture”.

Topher’s work is known in the poetry circles for invoking the heart of rural Jamaica, the theme of grief, as well as for his commentary on gender sexuality and mental health.

“Throughout my life, poetry has given me a sense of direction, a space to be that I didn’t think I had before that has allowed me to build my confidence and develop my emotional depth,” said Allen.

“A lot of my pieces primarily speaks from an elderly female voice, perspectives my grandmother would have,” he continued.

When asked about future plans, Topher said he is currently working on putting together a collection (a body of work) which should be completed within the next year.

For upcoming poets, Topher recommends:

1. Your key focus should be on freshness, “try to make the mundane new”

2. Read more

3. Share your work with others and be open to criticism

4. Attend writer workshops

5. Read the works of Kei Miller, Tanya Shirley, Anne Sexton, Ilya Kaminsky