Illegal Poet

Combining the political, the personal, the poetic and the hilarious in his signature blend of spoken word, Audley A. Astwood is gaining a strong reputation across the Caribbean and the USA for his bold, funny and thought-provoking performances. Whether taking a stance on child or spousal abuse, bold and insightful attacks on Santa Claus, or rhyming off his incisive spoken word rants, his unique Caribbean perspective, and unusual sense of humor have been winning him a loyal following.

Audley graduated from City College in Ft. Lauderdale with a Bachelor's in Management and Associate's in Broadcasting. It was in the U.S. where he made the transition from an author to a Spoken Word Artist. He has published two volumes of poetry "The Awakening" and "Illegal Thoughts?" which have been studied in elementary, secondary and tertiary institutions in the Turks & Caicos. A third volume entitled "Illegal Poet" which is an extension of his debut CD is expected to be released in early 2007.

Audley has performed in Broward, Dade and many other cities through out Florida, Georgia and the Caribbean sparking a buzz and became known as the poet with his own signature style of poetry. He has made several local radio and TV appearances in his home country of the Turks & Caicos Islands. He has been interviewed and had his poetry published in every local newspaper in his country. A huge force in promoting poetry to the masses in his country, Audley recently launched Cactus Slam, the first poetry festival in the Turks & Caicos Islands. The festival attracted poetry pioneer Bruce George of Def Poetry Jam fame to attend as a special guest, English Professor Eleanor Earl from Hampton University and many Spoken Word artists from South Florida.

Illegal Poet's debut CD, "Illegal Poet" which is slated to be released in the summer of 2006 is groundbreaking and profound. Since the release of its first single which features the rapping talent of Anthony Bovie in December 2005, "Ice Age" has been in heavy rotation on radio stations across the Turks & Caicos. His second single "I Swear" which he co-produced, features Orane from the Hip Hop/R&B group "Blakout" is also currently enjoying the same success as his first single.

As his poetry continues to evolve, he takes on many social issues of our times. He is no stranger to civil or human rights activism. Audley is the son of Lewis E. Astwood III a political pioneer and activist, who fought along side the late Honourable Jags McCartney in the 70's era against the British Government for equal rights. Audley's father and McCartney founded the first local political party, the Peoples Democratic Movement (P.D.M.) in the home where he lived. In 1976, McCartney and Audley's father were elected into public office. It was a historic occasion, which signaled the birth of modern democracy in the Turks & Caicos Islands. In true second-generation form, his poetry builds on the foundation of his father's activism which he was brought up on and takes it to original and unexpected directions. More and more, he delves deeper into giving a voice to the voiceless in his poetry. One can say that he is illegal because of his signature style, while others may say; its because of what he writes or speaks about. One thing is very evident however; he indeed is an Illegal Poet.