Jeda Pearl ~ Writer, Poet, Artist, Story Navigator
Pronunciation
My first name, Jeda, is pronounced ‘jeh-dah’ and was created from the first two letters of my parents’ names: Je– and Da–. It’s not pronounced jay-dah, jada, or jedi 😉
My second name, Pearl, is pronounced ‘perl’ or ‘perrrul’ if you roll your r’s (also made by oysters ⚪🦪🐚)
Mini bio / event intro – 42 words
Jeda Pearl is a Scottish Jamaican writer based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Her poems and stories appear in art installations and several anthologies, and her debut poetry collection, Time Cleaves Itself, is published by Peepal Tree Press. Find her online @JedaPearl or jedapearl.com.
Social media & links
Connect on: Ko-Fi | LinkTree | Instagram | Facebook | BlueSky
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Bio
Jeda Pearl (she/her) is a Scottish Jamaican author and artist based in Edinburgh, Scotland. In 2024, she was shortlisted for the Royal Society of Literature (RSL) Jerwood Poetry Award, and her short fiction was longlisted by the British Science Fiction Association Awards. In 2022, her poetry was shortlisted for the Sky Arts RSL Award and longlisted for the Women Poets’ Prize. Art installations include Disrupting the Narrative (2024), Windrush Legacy Creative Reflections (2023), and Acts of Observation (2021). Performances include StAnza, Hidden Door, Push the Boat Out, Cymera and Edinburgh International Book Festival. Her poems and short stories are published by Luna Press, New Writing Scotland, Open Book, Not Going Back to Normal, Shoreline of Infinity, Aesthetica, Tapsalteerie, and her debut poetry collection, Time Cleaves Itself, is published by Peepal Tree Press. @JedaPearl jedapearl.com.
Photos
Please include image descriptions for any images shared online, for example: Photo of Jeda Pearl, a woman with light-brown skin, shoulder-length curly hair and dark brown eyes. She is smiling. She stands in front of a dark green wall and is wearing a patterned dress with toucans and tropical leaves on it.
Long version
Jeda Pearl (she/her) is a Scottish Jamaican writer and artist based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Her work often traverses/reflects the ‘in between’ and explores the intersections of be/longing, (intergenerational) memory, illness and disability, secrecy and survival. Her work examines the histories, cultures, folklores and languages of her ancestral islands, at times exploring grief and nature writing, often creating magical realist or science-fictional worlds.
As a poet, Jeda was nominated and shortlisted for the Royal Society of Literature (RSL) Jerwood Poetry Award 2024. In 2022, she was shortlisted for the Sky Arts RSL Award and longlisted for the Women Poets’ Prize. Jeda has had works commissioned by galleries Collective (Acts of Observation), and Rhubaba; the Scottish Storytelling Centre, The City of Edinburgh Council, and Festivals Edinburgh (Momentum/British Council). Performances include The Big Scottish Book Club (BBC Scotland), StAnza, Hidden Door, Push the Boat Out, Cymera, Edinburgh Science Festival, and Edinburgh International Book Festival. Anthology publications include Stewed Rhubarb, New Writing Scotland, Open Book, Not Going Back to Normal, Shoreline of Infinity, Aesthetica, Tapsalteerie; and her debut poetry collection, Time Cleaves Itself, is published by Peepal Tree Press.
As a fiction author, Jeda’s stories have been longlisted by the British Science Fiction Association Awards (Nova Scotia 2, Luna Press, 2024), published in Glimpse, Peepal Tree Press’ first anthology of Black British speculative fiction, and in 2019, Jeda was awarded Cove Park’s Scottish Emerging Writer Residency and shortlisted for the Moniack Mhor Bridge Awards.
Jeda is also Co-Director of the Scottish BPOC Writers Network, an advocacy and professional development organisation for Black and POC writers in Scotland. She has sat on selection panels for arts organisations, and is an experienced event chair, panellist, and freelance arts programmer. Recent freelance arts programming projects include North Bridge: Where We Travelled / Bridging Time (lead artist, editor 2024-2025); and Windrush Legacy Creative Reflections (lead artist, editor & exhibition co-curator, 2023) and Windrush 75 (collaborating organiser, 2023).
Find Jeda online @jedapearl on Ko-Fi, Instagram, Facebook, or BlueSky.