About

Early Life & Education

Stephen Alexander Dantes is a Saint Lucian author, poet, novelist, spoken word artist, educator, and cybersecurity professional. A versatile creative and technologist, he has performed in the United States, Canada, Vanuatu and Saint Lucia, while also building a parallel career in Mathematics, Education, Software Development, and Information Security. He is best known for his poems; Fair Helen, Rude Boy Reality, The Land the People and the Bottle, Recreating History, Country Boys of Darban, Where I'm from there is No Freedom, What if Juliet Never Found Romeo, and Ode to Love; and for his role as co‑creator of the first Caribbean sports website, www.sportcaraibe.net.

Born to Marcella Dantes and Stephen Alexander Henry on 12 December 1982 at Saint Jude’s Hospital in Vieux Fort, Saint Lucia, Dantes spent his formative years in Darban, Choiseul, until the age of sixteen, when he moved to Castries.

Dantes’ academic journey is as distinguished as his creative one. He earned an Associate Degree in Secondary Teacher Education (Mathematics and Social Studies) from Sir Arthur Lewis Community College (2007), followed by a double‑major Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and Computer Science from the University of the South Pacific (2022), where he received the Gold Medal and the GEM IT Prize for outstanding performance. He continued to postgraduate level, completing a Master of Science in Computer Science with Distinction from the University of East London (2025) and a Master’s Degree in Continuing Education in Cybersecurity from Universidad Católica de Murcia, Spain (2025). His cybersecurity thesis was published in the UCAM library in 2025. He also holds Cambridge A‑Levels in Mathematics and Economics (2002) and a Level 1 Athletics Coach Certificate from the IAAF (2003).

Literary Career & Performances

Dantes wrote his first poem, Life, while in Form 3 at Choiseul Secondary School. In Form 5, he collaborated with a classmate on a reggae songbook; his second poem, ‘Why is it I'm So Afraid?’, came in 2000 during A‑Level year. By age 29, he had published 14 works — four in softcover print and ten digital poetry eBooks, most available on Amazon. His bibliography includes The Enchanting Excerpts, The Last Enchantment, Hindsight, The Love Doctor, The Alter Ego, Lucian Chronicles, Silent Defeat Bitter Confrontation, Soul mates | Confessions of a Stoic, Letters to my Son, Creole Chapbook 1, Thoughts, Exit Mic Still Hanging, All Black Everything, Is it Love? 1- a triangle gone square, and Is it Love? 2 - Happily Never After.

In February 2013, to mark Saint Lucia’s Independence Day, he gifted the nation two poems — Fair Helen and The Land, The People and The Bottle — and released a comic strip featuring a superhero in national colours, inviting young people aged 10–19 to name the hero.

Dantes has performed extensively at schools, hotels, bars, cafés, lounges, festivals, and media houses, including the National Arts Festival, HeadPhunk, the Creative Industries Launch, Word Alive, the Annual National Telethon, and various poetry slams. In 2012, he completed a school tour across Saint Lucia, visiting Vide Bouteille Secondary, Choiseul Secondary, Soufriere Secondary, Saltibus Combined, and Banse La Grace Combined. He also performed at Carleton University in Canada, where he won 2nd Place in a poetry slam in 2011.

Professional Career: Education, IT & Cybersecurity

Dantes has been a dedicated educator for much of his career. He taught for the Government of Saint Lucia at multiple institutions: Saltibus Roman Catholic Combined School (2002–2004, teaching Physical Education, Science, Mathematics, English, and coaching sports), Choiseul Secondary School (2004–2005, Physical Education, Social Studies, Cricket Coach), Vide Bouteille Secondary School (2007–2010, Mathematics, Social Studies, Integrated Science, English, Physical Education, and Football/Athletics Coach), and Bocage Secondary School (2012–2017, Mathematics teacher, magazine designer and editor, school yearbook and video director, and official graduation movie producer).

He also taught at St. Joseph’s Convent and Babonneau Secondary School as a Mathematics during his teacher training. His teaching extended beyond Saint Lucia to students around the world in Mathematics and Computer Science, including Brisbane Bayside State College Australia, University of the West Indies, St. Vincent Community College, Girls’ High School Kingstown, St. Vincent Grammar School, Gloucester High School Ottawa.

Alongside teaching, Dantes built a parallel career in technology. From 2009 to 2012, he served as Project Manager and Consultant for a youth video and web design mentorship programme, reporting to the Minister for Transportation and Public Works. He developed and administered websites for Shine Television Studios (2010–2011) and his own platforms dantesdesigns.net and luciastandup.net, which showcased Saint Lucian art. He was also a sports journalist and 50% shareholder of sportcaraibe.net, the pioneering Caribbean sports website. From 2011–2012, he worked as a self‑employed web designer in New York and Ottawa.

After migrating to the South Pacific, he lived and worked in Vanuatu as General Manager and Property Manager of Sandalwood Apartments (2017–2022), while also developing and administering their website and a website dedicated to the understanding of law called pawthelaw.info. In 2023, he moved to Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, where he took on the role of IT Supervisor and Communications Officer at the National Insurance Services (2023–2025). Since 2025, he has been a freelance cybersecurity consultant and full‑stack web application developer, working across the USA, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent, with expertise in secure system design, cloud deployment, and programming in Java, Python, C++, Swift, TypeScript, and React. He continues to tutor mathematics and computer science online and in person.

Awards & Recognition

• 1999 – Most Outstanding Student in Technical Drawing, Choiseul Secondary School
• 2006 – 2nd Place in Spoken Word, St. Lucia Annual National Arts Festival
• 2007 – Award for Outstanding Research, Sir Arthur Lewis Community College
• 2010 – “Most Requested Guest Performer”, St. Lucia Writer’s Forum
• 2011 – 2nd Place Poetry Slam, Carleton University (Canada)
• 2012 – Most Outstanding Youth in Literary Arts 2011, Government of St. Lucia, National Youth Council
• 2013 – Most Outstanding Youth in Literary Arts 2012 (Choiseul Youth and Sports Council)
• 2013 – 34th Independence Anniversary Award for Contribution to the Arts (Education District 7)
• 2013 – Dedicated Service in Mathematics (Government of St. Lucia)
• 2017 – Most Outstanding Teacher in Creative Arts 2016, Education District 3, Government of St. Lucia
• 2022 – Gold Medal and GEM IT Prize for outstanding student with a major in Mathematics, University of the South Pacific
• 2025 – Master of Science in Computer Science with Distinction, University of East London; Cybersecurity thesis published in UCAM library