CE Mackenzie's research explores dissonant strategies for responding to a culture that demands assimilation, productivity, and positivity. Mackenzie is specifically interested in how biopolitical rhetoric is mobilized within the US opioid epidemic to foreclose epistemological alternatives to capitalist logics. They hope to amplify broader political imaginaries by challenging our notions of health, undermining attachments to success, and elevating the agency of those most affected. Mackenzie writes and works at the intersections of rhetoric, public health, and affect.
Before beginning doctoral work at the University of Pittsburgh in 2018, Mackenzie earned a MFA in poetry from Bennington College. They also have a decade of vocational experience in academic book publishing, community advocacy, and professional writing.