Oren O. Cousins is a Jamaican retired teacher, novelist and poet. He was born in St. Margaret's Bay, Jamaica, August 15, 1932, and grew on his parents' small farm in the village of Fruitful Vale, Portland, Jamaica. He began his formal education at the village elementary school. He is a graduate of Mico Teachers' College and the University of The West Indies. He served as a teacher and school principal for forty years, retiring in 1992, as the first Principal of Bog Walk Secondary School ( now known as Bog Walk High School. ) In retirement, he writes novels, poetry and articles, and serves his fellow-men as a Lay Magistrate, voluntary counsellor and philanthropist of very moderate means. Cousins is the winner of numerous literary awards, including the Jamaica Daily Gleaner Silver Pen Award. JCDC bronze Medal for Creative Literature and the prestigious Vic Reid Award for Children and Young People's Literature. His first novel, "Road To Damascus", was published in 2005 by LMH Bookpublishers. "Jamaica. American - Jamaican Anthology of Original Poetry" was co-authored with an American, John E. Wordslinger and published in 2009, in USA. Four other books, up to date, are processed for publication in USA. Mr. Cousins is a an ardent free-thinking Roman Catholic who hates injustices, discrimination against women, child abuse and low wages. He disapproves church imposed celibacy and never drinks tinned chocolate. He loves his country, all beautiful things, scenery, animals, flowers, women and children, Jamaica's white rum which he hardly drinks, classical music, reading, writing, Morris Carghill/s irony, free-thinking, gardening and cooking, early bed, yet staying up late, and waking too early
