More about ya gal
Hi, I’m Malaika Kegode. I’m an award-winning writer, performer, creative producer, and an Associate Director at Theatre Royal Plymouth. I love finding stories between the cracks in the pavement and then helping them to grow.
I began my creative career as a performance poet in 2014, a path which led me to perform across the UK at a number of iconic venues, festivals, and literary events such as The 100 Club, WOMAD, and The Scottish Storytelling Centre. I have three poetry collections - Requite (2017), Thalassic (2019), and Body Buffet (2022). I am also the founder, co-producer, and host of Milk Poetry.
These days I’m based between Bristol and Plymouth. In addition to poetry, I make live shows, write for film, music and radio, produce events, facilitate workshops, and advocate for others to be able to do the same. Creativity is one of our greatest tools for healing and connection, and this belief drives all aspects of my practice forward.
I am also passionate about cinema. I’ve worked as a curational associate for Watershed, a resident artist for Encounters Film Festival, and programme selector for a number of film festivals including Queer Vision and Tallinn Black Nights. I was selected to be part of the Cinema Rediscovered Film Critic Workshop, and was also honoured to be awarded the Elspeth Kydd Memorial Prize for my screenwriting portfolio in 2021.
I am an Associate Artist at Bristol Old Vic, part of English Touring Theatre’s Nationwide Voices 2023 cohort, a Pervasive Media Studio resident, and the current writer-in-residence at the University of Bristol’s Theatre Collection having been the recipient of the Kevin Elyot Award in 2022.
If you’d like a more comprehensive bio, you can download that here.
Writing & Performing
When people ask me what I do, the first thing I’ll tell them is that I’m a writer, then in a quieter voice I’ll say “and performer”.
I’ve still not worked out if I’m a writer who performs or a performer who writes, but one thing is certain - I love live performance and making stories. Beginning my journey as a performance poet was a fast track to learning how to connect with an audience - earning my stripes performing at punk gigs, libraries, and to reluctant patrons in South Devon pubs. I love to figure an audience out, form a relationship with them, and build a unique experience together.
I regularly perform with my long-time collaborators and friends, folk-inspired prog rock band Jakabol, and love to find new ways of sharing ideas and creating worlds.
My practice is constantly shifting. I am now moving away from autobiographical work to focus more on creating live work for new voices and different spaces.
Click on the button below to see what I’ve been working on recently.
Producing & HOsting
I stumbled into producing by accident, and now it greatly shapes all aspects my work.
My entry into this side of the industry came in 2014 when I got a job from Apples & Snakes hosting Spokes Amaze at The Bike Shed in Exeter. I inherited this hosting gig from Jack Dean, and learned the ropes from producer Gina Sherman. Eventually, I became the lead producer, running and hosting the event until its last edition in 2017.
In 2015, poet Graham Chilcott and I founded Milk Poetry on Gloucester Road in Bristol. Graham later left, but I continued running Milk Poetry which has grown into a well-loved part of Bristol’s live arts community. We organize monthly events at The Wardrobe Theatre, along with workshops, festival stages, online events, and more.
I’ve also hosted events and/or shows for Penguin Books, BBC Radio 4 and Tongue Fu, and have worked as a freelance producer in for Roundhouse, Strike a Light, Watershed, and as an outreach & young people producer for Blahblahblah at Bristol Old Vic.
If you’d like me to host your event, feel free to get in touch with my agent Louisa by clicking the button below.
Workshops & Mentoring
“I believe that the children are the future. Now listen, you can teach them well, but buddy, you have got to let them lead the way. Let the children's laughter just remind us of how we used to be. That’s what I decided long ago.”
- Jack Black as Dewey Finn pretending to be Ned Schneebly paraphrasing Whitney Houston, School of Rock (2003, Mike White)
A surprising amount of my life philosophy can be summed up by Mike White’s 2003 masterpiece School of Rock. Mostly this: The most beautiful thing about artistic expression is that there are so many routes into it - and all of them are valid.
As a mentor and workshop leader, I’m interested in acknowledging the confidence it takes to grow your practice, finding ways to take care of yourself on your journey, and making sure to celebrate your wins along the way. Artists I’ve mentored have gone on to create brilliant work and forge arts-based careers. I’m really proud to have been part of their journeys and appreciate all they’ve taught me.
I am a trauma-informed practitioner and have experience working with vulnerable and marginalised groups. I have worked with a number of organisations including Synergy Theatre Project, Bristol Drugs Project, Beyond Face, and Arvon Foundation.
If you’d like to know more or would like advice about running your own workshops, please get in touch for a chat.