Benjamin Zephaniah is a British Jamaican Rastafarian writer and dub poet. He is a well-known figure in contemporary English literature, and was included in The Times list of Britain's top 50 post-war writers in 2008. He writes poems that are fun but also have a serious message. As well as writing novels for teenagers, he also writes for young children. One of his early books, Talking Turkeys, had to go into emergency reprint after just 6 weeks. He is an animal rights advocate as well as honorary patron of The Vegan Society. As a songwriter, he has released several albums of original music. He received Best Original Song in the Hancocks 2008 and Talkawhile Awards for Folk Music.