PAUL McKENZIE
Writer • Editor • Journalist
Hackney-born Paul McKenzie is a writer, journalist, former magazine editor and educator whose career has crossed publishing, television, film and education.
A lifelong lover of books, his reading has been shaped by writers including Alice Walker, Toni Morrison, George Orwell and Ernest Hemingway. Paul wrote for numerous newspapers and magazines, including The Observer, before becoming Editor of Touch magazine, an influential publication documenting Britain’s urban music, youth culture and emerging Black British voices. He later moved into education, bringing his experience as a writer, editor and communicator into the classroom to inspire another generation.
Why Hackney Matters
Paul grew up on Hackney’s Pembury Estate, attended Hackney Downs School and spent some of his happiest childhood hours in Hackney libraries. He remembers the excitement of choosing a book, having it stamped and knowing he had to finish it before its return date. Receiving a Legacy Step at Dalston CLR James Library is, he says, “one of my proudest moments” a fitting recognition for a self-described “Spurs boy from the Pembury Estate.”
Did You Know?
Before journalism and teaching, Paul was a child actor, appearing in BBC’s Grange Hill and later the film Buddy’s Song with Roger Daltrey and Chesney Hawkes. Paul and Chesney remained friends, and Chesney Hawkes later became best man at Paul’s wedding.