Valerie was born and grew up in Clarendon, Jamaica. Caribbean life and culture have shaped or influenced a great deal of her writing.

She was enchanted with literature from a very early age; her work first entered the public arena when she won a national competition, and as a result saw her poem 'Mek ah ketch har' form part of the national festival.

Valerie moved to England in 1979. Here she began writing and performing regularly, having tried her hand as a librarian, arts officer and even steel band instructor! Her work has been published in over 200 anthologies, including GCSE and A-Level syllabi. She has several poetry books and two novels for young people, 'Surprising Joy' and 'The Tribe', which was published in 2007.



As well as running writing workshops and courses in schools and elsewhere, Valerie performs across the country and internationally; she has appeared everywhere from local libraries to the Royal Albert Hall. She is also a familiar voice on television and radio - she recently produced a three part documentary, 'Island Voices' for BBC Radio 4.

Valerie lives with her family in Kent, and is inspired by everything around her, from the late September sunshine to the antics of her husband and children.