Morris is Professor Emeritus of Creative Writing & West Indian Literature at the University of the West IndiesIn 2009, Morris was awarded the Jamaican Order of Merit

Peelin Orange is the definitive Collected Poems by one of Jamaica's leading voices, the current Poet Laureate, Mervyn Morris. These poems explore the everyday, the erotic, love and the melancholy and comedy of being. Often drawing upon Creole dialect, Morris explores his Jamaican heritage with trademark musicality. Each poem offers a pared-down shard of concentrated feeling and social observation. This Collected Poems is a landmark tribute to the winner of the Order of Merit (Jamaica) 2009 and highlights his distinguished contribution to West Indian Literature.