Dr Micah A. Mackay spent her first years of life in Ixopo, a small town in rural Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa, best known for its mention in the first line of Alan Paton’s, Cry, the Beloved Country. Now based in the bustling city of Edinburgh, she has built an interdisciplinary career as a writer, historian, arts development professional, and cultural advocate.

Micah is committed to equity and sustainability in the arts, advocating for a fairer future where long-term funding and support for artists are prioritised. Recently she has appeared on STV to discuss the arts funding crisis in Scotland and to comment on the governmental budget for culture. Her advocacy is informed by years of experience working as an arts development and fundraising professional, where she has secured transformative funding for leading arts organisations such as An Tobar and Mull Theatre and Dunedin Consort.

In addition to her advocacy and development work, Micah is an accomplished writer. She is an alumna of the Traverse Theatre’s Young Writers’ Programme and her debut screenplay was shortlisted for the 2023 Edinburgh TV Festival/All3Media New Writers’ Collective. In 2024, she was selected as a part of the Scottish Documentary Institute’s Emerging Filmmaker Circle and she has recently received Creative Scotland funding to create a theatre piece based on her creative work with Caithness and Sutherland Women’s Aid and Lyth Arts Centre.

Micah’s academic achievements include a Doctor of Philosophy in Medieval and Modern Languages from the University of Oxford, where she was funded by a prestigious Leverhulme Doctoral Fellowship and Balliol Dervorguilla Scholarship. Her research focused on the development and performance of the late medieval carol, delving into the intersections of music, culture, and performance in the medieval world. She is passionate about engaging the public with history and has shared her research widely through appearances on platforms such as BBC Radio 3 and HistoryHit.

Outside of her professional and creative endeavours, Micah can be found training for the odd endurance event or two, climbing up rocks with her partner, Euan, or enjoying a sea swim.