Grace Nichols - Introduction
(1950– ),
Poet, born in British Guiana (now Guyana), resident in London since 1977. Her first collection of poetry, I is a Long‐Memoried Woman (1983), demonstrated her gift for blending Caribbean Creole and Standard English, and helped to illustrate the literary qualities of Creole for exploring Caribbean history, folklore, and myth. She has done this consistently in all her work including The Fat Black Woman's Poems (1984), Lazy Thoughts of a Lazy Woman (1989) and Sunrise (1996). She has also published Whole of a Morning Sky (1986), a novel.
Retrieved from (2007). Drabble, M., Stringer, J., & Hahn, D. (Eds.), The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature. : Oxford University Press. Retrieved 12 Nov. 2024, from https://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780199214921.001.0001/acref-9780199214921.
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Databases
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JSTOR This link opens in a new window
Scholarly resources on JSTOR include Archival and Current Journals, Books, and Primary Sources.
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World Book Encyclopedia This link opens in a new window
Online version of the complete reference work along with dictionary, atlas, links, magazines, historical documents, audio, video, images, and 3D photograph
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Britannica Schools This link opens in a new window
Britannica School covers the core subject areas of English, Maths, Science and History. Interactive lessons, activities, games, stories, worksheets, manipulatives, study guides and research tools.
News
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Grace Nichols awarded the Queen’s Gold Medal for Poetry 2021Grace Nichols has been awarded the Queen’s Gold Medal for Poetry 2021. The Gold Medal for Poetry was established by King George V in 1933, and is awarded annually for excellence in poetry to a poet from the United Kingdom or a Commonwealth country.
Retrieved from: Curtis Brown. (2024). Curtisbrown.co.uk. https://www.curtisbrown.co.uk/news/grace-nichols-queens-gold-medal -
Grace Nichols’ ‘pioneering voice’ wins her Queen’s gold medal for poetry – The GuardianPoet laureate Simon Armitage, who chaired this year’s award committee, said the Guyanese writer’s works ‘echo with the rhymes and rhythms of her family and ancestors’.
Retrieved from: Knight, L. (2021, December 10). Grace Nichols’ “pioneering voice” wins her Queen’s gold medal for poetry. The Guardian; The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/books/2021/dec/10/grace-nichols-pioneering-voice-wins-her-queens-gold-medal-for-poetry
Historical Context
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Middle Passage - Britannica
Middle Passage, the forced voyage of enslaved Africans across the Atlantic Ocean to the New World. It was one leg of the triangular trade route that took goods (such as knives, guns, ammunition, cotton cloth, tools, and brass dishes) from Europe to Africa, Africans to work as slaves in the Americas and West Indies, and items, mostly raw materials, produced on the plantations (sugar, rice, tobacco, indigo, rum, and cotton) back to Europe. Retrieved from: Britannica, T. Editors of Encyclopaedia (2024, September 14). Middle Passage. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Middle-Passage-slave-trade -
Slavery in the Caribbean
The introduction of sugar cultivation to St Kitts in the 1640s and its subsequent rapid growth led to the development of the plantation economy which depended on the labour of imported enslaved Africans. African slaves became increasingly sought after to work in the unpleasant conditions of heat and humidity.
Retrieved from: National Museums Liverpool. (2023). Slavery in the Caribbean. National Museums Liverpool. https://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/archaeologyofslavery/slavery-caribbean
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Caribbean Condition Pre-migration
Prior to the mass migration to the UK following the end of World War II, Caribbean people had already developed patterns of migration, after Emancipation, to countries which provided the best opportunities for work.
Retrieved from:1. Caribbean Condition Pre-migration. (2020, June 2). Reading Museum. https://www.readingmuseum.org.uk/explore/online-exhibitions/windrush-day/windrush-day-enigma-arrival/1-caribbean-condition-pre -
Empire Windrush: Caribbean migration – National Archives
Why did people from the Caribbean travel to live and work in Britain? By 1948, the Nationality Act was passed which gave people from British colonies the right to live and work in Britain if they wanted. They were citizens of the United Kingdom and Colonies. Many Caribbean men and women had served in the forces during the war, some wanted to re-enlist into the armed forces or find other employment. After the war, Britain needed people to fill jobs in the health service, transport system and postal system.
Retrieved from: Archives, T. N. (n.d.). The National Archives - Homepage. The National Archives. https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/education/resources/the-empire-windrush/empire-windrush-caribbean-migration/
When Caribbean migrants arrived in the UK in the mid-20th century, they faced widespread racism and discrimination. This video explores the experiences of migrants in the United Kingdom in the 1960s, 70s and 80s, covering the 1965 and 1968 Race Relations Acts, the enforcement of the Sus Law and the Brixton uprising.
Retrieved from: The Windrush Generation S1 • E2 - The Experiences of Caribbean Migrants in the UK. (2022). ClickView. https://www.clickview.net/share/jrQWEy?a=true&t=135
In 1948, nearly 500 pioneers travelled from the Caribbean on the Empire Windrush. The passage cost 28 pounds, 10 shillings. Passenger Sam King describes the conditions on board and the concerns people had about finding a job in England - and what life was like in their adopted country once they arrived. Sam King MBE went into politics and later became the mayor of Southwark in London, and a campaigner for fellow immigrants from the Caribbean. He died in 2016.
Retrieved from: BBC World Service. (2020). From the Carribbean to Britain - a journey on the Empire Windrush - BBC World Service podcast. In YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mY8e5k45z6k
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Brixton riots 1981: What happened 40 years ago in London?
On 10 April 1981, a Friday, rumours of police brutality against a black man resulted in an angry crowd confronting police for a few hours before the protests were contained. But an arrest the following night saw the streets of Brixton, south London, erupt into violence. Fighting took place between protestors and the Metropolitan police.
For three days, rioters - mostly young black men - fought with police, attacked buildings and set fire to cars.
More than 300 people were injured and the damage caused came to an estimated cost of £7.5 million.
Retrieved from: BBC. (2021, April 12). Black History Month: the 1981 Brixton Riots - CBBC Newsround. Www.bbc.co.uk. https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/50035769 -
Context: Grace Nichols and 'Praise Song for My Mother'
Retrieved from: Context: Grace Nichols and “Praise Song for My Mother.” (n.d.). Retrieved November 14, 2024, from https://media.freeola.com/other/24439/praisesongsocialandhistorical.pdf
Biography
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Grace Nichols (1950-) Biography
Retrieved from: Grace Nichols (1950-) Biography - Personal, Addresses, Career, Honors Awards, Writings, Adaptations, Sidelights. (2024). Jrank.org. https://biography.jrank.org/pages/1882/Nichols-Grace-1950.html
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Grace Nichols - Poetry Archive
Grace Nichols is a poet whose work has been central to our understanding of the important cultural Caribbean-British connection for nearly 3 decades. From her first collection, I Is a Long Memoried Woman (1983), to her more recent work such as Picasso, I Want My Face Back (2009), she has uncovered with a disquieting lyricism and humour the various facets of life as a woman and as an immigrant living in the UK.
Retrieved from: Grace Nichols. (n.d.). Poetry Archive. https://poetryarchive.org/poet/grace-nichols/ -
Grace Nichols - Wikipedia
Grace Nichols FRSL (born 1950) is a Guyanese poet who moved to Britain in 1977, before which she worked as a teacher and journalist in Guyana.
Retrieved from: Grace Nichols. (2022, December 28). Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grace_Nichols -
Interview with Grace Nichols
Retrieved from: Fisher, B. (2021, March 15). Interview with Grace Nichols. The English Association. https://englishassociation.ac.uk/interview-with-grace-nichols/
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Grace Nichols: In conversation with Maggie Butcher
Retrieved from: Grace Nichols:In conversation with Maggie Butcher. (1988). Wasafiri, 4(8), 17–19. https://doi.org/10.1080/02690058808574163
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Grace Nichols - Best Poems
Grace Nichols was born in Guyana, in the Caribbean, and moved to live in the UK in 1977. She has written many poetry books and has been inspired by her homeland and her experiences of England.
Retrieved from: Grace Nichols - Grace Nichols Poems. (n.d.). Best Poems Encyclopedia. https://www.best-poems.net/grace-nichols/poems.html
Retrieved from: Grace Nichols at the British Library in October 2022 Retrieved from: The British Library - BOCAS UK at the British Library 2022: Session 1 - Ways in the World
Retrieved from: Island Man by Grace Nichols. (n.d.). Www.youtube.com. Retrieved July 18, 2021, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1bACVeAclpU
Next stop Guyana with award winning poet Grace Nichols - Podcast
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Next stop Guyana with award winning poet Grace NicholsIn this episode Gyles and Aphra Brandreth meet award winning poet Grace Nichols, recipient of the 2021 Queen’s Gold Medal for Poetry. Meeting at her home in Lewes, East Sussex, Grace takes us on a journey to Guyana sharing stories of growing up in a small country village before moving to the capital George Town and eventually migrating to England.
Poems this episode include: Picture my Father, Wha Me Mudder Do and For Forest, all by Grace Nichols.
Retrieved from: Next stop Guyana with award winning poet Grace Nichols. (2022, August 20). Apple Podcasts. https://podcasts.apple.com/ie/podcast/next-stop-guyana-with-award-winning-poet-grace-nichols/id1626115064?i=1000576691176
