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Grace Nichols

Grace Nichols was born in Guyana, where she grew up. She worked there as a journalist and reporter, before coming to Britain in 1977 and has since published three books of poems for adult readers. Her first, i is a long memoried woman (Karnac House, London, 1983), won the 1983 Commonwealth Poetry Prize. The Fat Black Woman's Poems (1984) and Lazy Thoughts of a Lazy Woman (1989) are published by Virago, who also brought out her first adult novel, Whole of a Morning Sky (1986) which is set in Guyana.

Her books for children include two collections of short stories published by Hodder: Trust You Wriggly (1980) and Leslyn in London (1984), which was runner-up for The Other Award. She has also written a book of poems for young readers, Come on into My Tropical Garden (A & C Black, 1988) and, in Puffin, she has edited an poetry anthology titled Poetry Jump Up (formerly published by Blackie Books entitled Black Poetry).

She says of Poetry Jump Up:
"As a poet, whenever I come across a poem that I love, there's a desire to share it. The book stems from a desire to give fresh voices an exposure. A number of anthologies ... seem to be recycling, largely, the same old poems; so I like looking at other sources, such as voices from oral traditions, from Caribbean, Asian, African and North American Indian cultures."

Grace Nichols lives near Brighton with the poet John Agard and their daughter Kalera. Her older daughter, Lesley, also writes.