From oral traditions passed down through generations to faint echoes of ritual, the past often reaches us only in fragments.

In this talk, Zakiya explores how these traces of belief and practice can be transformed into convincing worlds by bringing depth, resonance and wonder to stories rooted in the past. Zakiya will speak to how she uses archaeology, myth and memory to craft immersive narratives that balance accuracy with imagination.

About Zakiya:

Dr. Zakiya McKenzie is a writer and cultural historian based in Bristol, UK. In 2019 she was writer-in-residence for Forestry England and in 2021 she was artist-in-residence at Studio Voltaire in London.

Her 2021 Rough Trade Books historical fiction pamphlet Testimonies on the History of Jamaica Vol. 1 explores the natural and social history of Jamaica in 1655 – the year Britain took the colony of Jamaica from Spain.

Dr. McKenzie was the 2023 winner of the Olivette Otele Prize in Black British Studies
convened by the Institute of Historical Research. Her paper titled ‘The Making of the Empire Windrush as a cultural motif’ challenged the contemporary idea of the Empire Windrush as a vessel of hope and dreams for post war Caribbean people in Britain.