shayna-adjowa jones (she/they) is an applied folklorist, a researcher, a writer and a multi-disciplinary spoken word artist specializing in embodied African and Afro-Diasporic lore. As an award-winning performer, shayna’s work has been featured in major festivals and theatres across Canada, bringing to life Afro-centric Folk History, Folklore and Contemporary Experience. Learn more about her and her work at: www.wearestoryfolk.com.

shayna-adjowa jones is in the midst of a 3 year research and writing residency to create an oral storytelling piece that honours Zora Neale Hurston’s folkloric genius. Hinged upon the 13 years Zora lay in an unmarked grave upon her death in 1960, shayna is on a potent odyssey of discovery through Afro-heritage deathlore & burial practices, investigating a single burning question: How do our bodies most meaningfully reunite with the earth?