ABOUT
Nikki studied for her BA and MA at Roehampton University. She grew up in inner city London and attended state school in Camden. She is the mum of two young children - who are both under 5! She was inspired to start MumWrite during lockdown in 2020. She wants to give mums a safe and supportive space to write, grow confidence, communicate and experiment with new techniques.
streetcake magazine and prize:
Nikki is Managing Editor of streetcake magazine, which she started with Trini Decombe in 2008. streetcake publishes an online issue every 2-3 months and in 2019, launched the streetcake experimental writing prize, supported by the Arts Council England.
Workshops:
-She has delivered workshops as part of the Stay at Home Festival, the Stay at Home Fringe Festival, Untitled Writing's underrepped writers' day and the streetcake writing prize.
-She created the MumWrite development programme - a programme dedicated to mums who write experimental poetry/short fiction, involving workshops, a network of writing mums, and editorial feedback.
-She has acted as a visiting lecturer at Roehampton University.
-She has extensive teaching experience as an EFL teacher in London and Madrid.
Published work:
Nikki's second novel, Volta, won the Virginia Prize 2020 and was published by Aurora Metro in May 2021. Nikki's first novel, Ellipsis, was published in 2010. Her chapbook, exits/origins, is published by Knives Forks and Spoons Press (2010) and her collection, Hope Alt Delete, is also published by them (2016). One of Nikki's poems was also featured in The Blackpool Illuminations (2016). She also has a hybrid pamphlet about dementia, I'd Better Let You Go, with Beir Bua Press (2021).
Read more about her publications on her site.
Awards:
-Novel, Volta, winner of the Virginia Prize 2020. Published 2021.
-Shortlisted in the London Writers' Competition in 2003 for poetry.
-Won the Promise Prize for poetry in the London Writers' Competition 2005.
-Novel, Ellipsis, shortlisted for the Ideastap Inspires programme in 2014.
Nikki has a background in publishing, teaching and editing. Past and present roles include:
-Marketing for small businesses and charities
-Visiting lecturer at Roehampton University
-EFL teacher (8 years) in Madrid and London
-Freelance editor and proofreader (10+ years)
- Production Manager of magazine supplements (2 years)
- School Programmes' Coordinator at Booktrust, for Booktime (1 year)
- Subscriptions Manager for The Wolf poetry magazine (1 year)
- SYP Production Assistant and Commissioning Editor for In Print magazine (2 years)
