Nicole was born in Paddington, West London, to an English mother and Guyanese father.  She grew up in Highbury, North London, which is still one of her favourite spots in London, where she was educated at Elizabeth Garrett Anderson School (formerly Starcross) until the age of 13, when she moved to Wellingborough, Northamptonshire.  She returned to London aged 21 having missed London's dynamic city life long enough!

Writing Background

Nicole's introduction to the world of literature came in 1995, when she studied black women's writing, which gave her a rare opportunity to delve with others, into the worlds of African, African-Caribbean and Black British writers.  The course covered the politics of black women writing and literary criticism, and she read a variety of poetry,
short stories, novels and plays written
by African, Caribbean and Black British
female writers. 

This wonderful literary study experience provided Nicole with a solid foundation for her interests in black women's literature as it increased her awareness of black women writers, particularly those writing in Britain.  It also increased her awareness of the social, cultural and historical contexts of black women's writing and much, much more.  Writers like Jackie Kay, Alice Walker, Toni Morrison and Andrea Levy changed her racial awareness; reading them transformed her life. She went on to study Black Women's History examining aspects of African-Caribbean women's ancestry and contemporary history using selected literature.  The context and foundation was set and solid.

As Nicole entered into the world of black women's writing, she knew straight away that it was not just a world, but the world she wanted to live and work. Her passion for language and her relationship with the written or spoken word has taken her on a particularly fascinating journey.  Since then, Nicole's 'work' has extended her in ways that have been pleasantly surprising, travelling as far as the US and the Caribbean to promote and research intercultural dialogue, thereby sharing and developing creative ideas within a wider perspective.  For example, in March 2003, Nicole was invited to participate on a panel 'Contemporary Feminist Print Culture' as part of a "Why We Write?" conference organised by the Graduate History Association at Columbia University in New York.

Nicole Moore, Columbia University,
Manhattan, New York, 27/03/03

Nicole has had poems and articles published in anthologies and magazines.  Her poetry writing is diverse and includes themes that explore issues of identity, race, culture and heritage.  Between 2005-2010, Nicole edited and independently produced three Shangwe anthologies of poems and personal essays by Black & Mixed-Race women; two of these anthologies were supported by an Arts Council England Award.  This involved organising book launches and numerous interviews and readings.  Between 2006-2008, Nicole hosted monthly Shangwe Poetry events at the Poetry Cafe, Covent Garden, London, which showcased over 80 featured and open mic performance poets.  She is currently working on her own collection of poems and personal essays.

Nicole's Top Five Favourite Books:

• Jones, Lisa      Bulletproof Diva Tales of Race, Sex and Hair,
                       1995, Penguin
• Kay, Jackie      Red Dust Road An Autobiographical Journey
                       2010, Picador
• Levy, Andrea    Small Island 2004, Headline Book Publishing
• Morrison, Toni  A Mercy 2008, Random House
• Walker, Alice   A Color Purple 1983, Pocket Books (Div. of
                       Simon & Schuster Inc) 

For more formal qualifications here is Nicole's CV:
Download CV 

For more information please contact:

Nicole Moore
Shangwe Creative Arts Founder
T: +44(0)7846 542321
E: nicole@shangwe.com