The worlds of conservation and nature writing are overwhelmingly white and male. I’m a writer, so I’m a dreamer, so I have a wish list and I’ve already thought, ‘I’m going to be resting in this place and I’m going to do the zip-line in that one, and in this one I’m going to learn about the history of coal mines.”Mckenzie was born in London and raised in Kingston, Jamaica. As a black woman interested in writing about the woods, Mckenzie must also face the extremely white world of publishing. And nature writers who have celebrated woodlands include Richard Mabey and Roger Deakin, who planted a bower of ash trees before he died. “Nature writing has been very male, but it’s definitely changing and I’m very optimistic.

Source: The Guardian March 11, 2019 06:00 UTC