Author and poet Marie Dunn is now on the island promoting her latest work Bold Soul Searching Monologues, released under her nom de plume Toya J.

Toya J says she uses writing as an outlet and began doing so after a physical assault that occurred on her job in the United States while working as a social worker.

“Surprisingly, this painful period in my life opened up a Pandora’s box that catapulted me into the deep exploration of the intimate self — discovering my sexuality, sensuality, and my true self. Writing captured my emotional roller-coaster rides housing them in stanzas and paragraphs,” she explained.

“Writing is an outlet for me to express myself brazenly when I am emotionally charged,” Dunn said.

According to her, Bold Soul Searching Monologues explores the themes of empowerment.

“For some, it’s shocking, but once that shock wears off, there’s usually approval and curiosity. My goal is for folks not to get too fixated on the sexual themes that come up, but rather to explore the other underlying themes such as communication, self-love, relationships, self-awareness,” she said.

The Jamaican-born poet is CEO of Bold Flamingo Publishing, which she created in 2018. She obtained her master’s degree in social work from Fordham University. She holds a bachelor’s in English Literature from Mercy College and an associate degree in paralegal studies from Westchester Community College.

While on the island, she will be providing monetary scholarships for young people seeking to further their education in culinary arts at York Castle, St Hilda’s, and Ferncourt high schools in Jamaica, through the organisation Albert Dunn Memorial Fund, of which she is president and founder, created to honour her late father.

“The value of the scholarships is $120,000 and it will be split between four students, two from York Castle and two from Golden Grove All-Age,” she said.