Poet, performer and life coach Patricia Foster McKenley joined the University of Westminster for an online discussion to share her personal experiences, as well as her writing and coping methods, during the COVID-19 pandemic and the rise in global Black trauma.
“Art invites us to know beauty and to solicit it, summon it, from even the most tragic of circumstances.” - Toni Morrison
Opening her talk with the poignant quote from the works of Toni Morrison, award winning poet, performer and life coach Patricia Foster McKenley shared her personal perspective of how writing supported her during the pandemic, invariably uncovering her own intersectionality and place in society. As a woman of Black British, Christian, Jamaican heritage, she spoke of the global impact of the Black Lives Matter movement, sparked by the unlawful killings of Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and George Floyd; the effects of the Covid pandemic, within the Black community.
Patricia also urged us to look at routes to healing. In particular, she spoke of the importance of tapping into creative gifts, accompanying this point with the Alice Walker quote, “Whenever you are creating beauty around you, you are restoring your own soul.” Most importantly, she spoke of rewriting the narrative of Black people, stating, “we are not just about trauma – there is so much more to us”.
The discussion was followed by a Q&A session, where Patricia discussed a variety of topics with attendees including periodising your writing, useful techniques and ways of maintaining wellbeing
Talking about the event, Zahrah, EDI Coordinator at the University of Westminster, said: “Hearing Patricia’s poetry was my favourite part of the event, the words and imagery used in her poem ‘Vigil’ stayed with me long after the event has finished.”
During the course of the talk, as well as sharing her writing, Patricia also shared a list of resources for attendees which can be found on the Black History Year website.
Watch a recording of the talk on YouTube.
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