Cat-Rap (2006)
Grace Nichols
Oxford English Dictionary (OED) Links Off
Lying on the sofa
all curled and meek…
You can use most of our website without any need to register. All the poem selections and ways of interacting with those are freely available, the resources in the Learning Zone, and lots of information about the Poetry By Heart competition including the competition guides. But if you want to take part in the Poetry By Heart competition or use the Teaching Zone resources, you'll need to register. This is because we need to know who you are and how we can talk to you, and where to send your competition resource pack if you are eligible to take part in the competition.
Registration takes a minute or two. We only collect the information we need to run the competition and we will not give it to anyone else without your express permission.
Learning design by The Full English | Branding and website by Howoco | Copyright © 2021 All Rights Reserved.
days to competition entry deadline
Choose a poem • Learn it by heart • Perform it out loud
Cat-Rap
Oxford English Dictionary (OED) Links Off
Lying on the sofa
all curled and meek…
Listen to a recording of this poem or poet
Grace Nichols won the Commonwealth Poetry Prize in 1983 with her first collection of poetry, I is a Long-memoried Woman. This collection was also dramatised by the BBC and adapted for film. Since then she has published numerous collections, many of them inspired by her Caribbean roots. She writes about the experiences of women and immigrants, weaving in Guyanese and Native American myths and folklore. Her writing is lively and musical, often echoing the oral traditions and rhythms of the Caribbean. She combines standard English and Creole to explore themes of alienation, separation, connection and spirituality. She also writes for children and has produced poetry and entertaining short stories for a younger audience.
Nichols was born in Georgetown, Guyana, and worked there as a teacher and journalist. In 1977 she moved to the UK, where she still lives, with her partner and fellow Guyanese poet, John Agard.