Stories from Yard | Alecia McKenzie

In this collection of captivating short stories set in Jamaica and other countries, female characters rely on their resilience, creativity, optimism, humour, and friendship to help them make their way in a difficult world. Diverse and subtly constructed, the stories employ gritty realism and irony, which are in constant tension with possibility and hope - as a child overcomes her fear of roaches to get an education, a middle-aged reggae singer finds happiness with a younger lover, and estranged friends seek forgiveness … which may or may not come.

Featuring a brand new cover to celebrate the book's 20th anniversary in 2025.

Alecia McKenzie is a Jamaican writer, editor and painter currently based in France. She started writing while at high school in Kingston, and her poems were published in local newspapers The Gleaner and The Star. Her first collection of short stories, Satellite City, and her debut novel, Sweetheart, later won Commonwealth literary prizes for the Caribbean region.

Alecia’s work has appeared in a range of literary magazines and in anthologies. She was shortlisted for the 2015 Commonwealth Short Story Prize, and longlisted for the 2019 Sunday Times Audible Short Story Award. She has edited / co-edited two collections of contemporary stories.