Grace Nichols

Grace Nichols is a Guyanese poet. She was born in Georgetown, Guyana, in 1950. After working in Guyana as a teacher and journalist, she emigrated to the UK in 1977. Much of her poetry is characterised by Caribbean rhythms and culture, and influenced by Guyanese and Amerindian folklore.

Her first collection of poetry, I is a Long-Memoried Woman won the 1983 Commonwealth Poetry Prize. She has written several further books of poetry and a novel for adults, Whole of a Morning Sky, 1986. Her books for children include collections of short stories and poetry anthologies. Her latest work, of new and selected poems, is "Startling the Flying Fish", 2006. Her poetry is featured in the AQA, WJEC (Welsh Joint Education Committee), and Edexcel English/English Literature GCSE anthologies - meaning that many GCSE students in the UK have studied her work. Her religion is Christianity after she was influenced by the UK's many religions and multi-cultural society. Her partner is Guyanese poet John Agard.

• A Dangerous Knowing: Four Black Women Poets (Barbara Burford, Gabriela Pearse, Grace Nichollknobg v's, Jackie Kay) Sheba, 1985
• The Discovery Macmillan, 1986
• Whole of a Morning Sky Virago, 1986
• Over the River - 1986
• Hurricane Hits England - 1987
• Lazy thoughts of a lazy woman - 1989

Awards

• 1989: Commonwealth Poetry Prize I is a Long Memoried Woman
• 1986: Arts Council Writers' Award
• 1996: Guyana Poetry Prize Sunris
• 2001: Cholmondeley Award
• 2007: Elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature

Further reading

• 'Grace Nichols', 'Writers and Their Work' Series, Sarah Lawson Welsh (Northcote Press & the British Council: 2007