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, the United Kingdom (Best performance in London by an International Poet for 2006) and the USA for his bold, funny and thought-provoking performances. Whether taking a stance on child or spousal abuse, daring and insightful attacks on Santa Claus, O.J. Simpson 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 studied Broadcasting and Management in Ft. Lauderdale. It was in the United States where he made the transition from an author to a Spoken Word Artist in August of 2004. He 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 published in 2008 in Virginia.


Audley has performed in Canada (Toronto and Vancouver), the United States: Las Vegas (Caesar's Palace), New York (Nuyorican Poet's Café), Florida and Georgia (Apache Café) the United Kingdom (London and Brixton) and several countries in 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. Audley recently made his U.S. TV debut in Baltimore, Maryland in April of 2008 on "The Poets Lounge". On the premiere episode, he performed "Hip Hop 101" and "The Band Played On" and had the honour to share the spotlight with poetic legend Nikki Giovanni. Illegal Poet has also been featured in documentaries in the Turks & Caicos and also in the United States. He has been interviewed and had his poetry published in every local newspaper in his country. He was a weekly poet columnist for the Turks & Caicos Times which had distribution in the United States, the Caribbean and Europe with over a million weekly subscribers. He at present is the only Spoken Word Artist in his country and has made it a top priority to change that. A huge force in promoting poetry to the masses in his country, in 2004 he launched Cactus Slam™, the first poetry festival in the Turks & Caicos Islands. The festival which attracted poetry pioneer Bruce George of Def Poetry Jam™ fame to attend as a special guest and featured many Spoken Word artists from South Florida. Audley at present is focusing on taking his unique style of poetry to span the entire globe.

Illegal Poet's debut CD, "Illegal Poet"™ which is slated to be released in 2008 is groundbreaking and profound. Since the release of its first single which features the rapping talent of Anthony Bovie, "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. The album also features production from ESwann, Fooley Fitz and L-32.

 

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 People's 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™. Add a touch of uniqueness to your next event by booking him to perform.