About Grace Nichols

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.